Customer data breaches are no longer an if but when for most organizations. They’ve been on the rise for years and show no decline. With risk increasing and hackers targeting companies in every industry and any size, businesses must address the aftermath. Part of that is data breach notification print and mail, which different regulations require.
Having a provider able to print and mail these communications can be key in your disaster recovery and business continuity practices. Learn how to evaluate them in this article.
What Are Data Breach Notification Print and Mail Services?
Should a major customer data breach occur, companies have the obligation to inform those impacted. These notifications must provide relevant and specific information about the incident and be delivered in a timely manner. Each recipient should receive applicable and accurate details from the company.
Outsourcing these notifications describes what a service does. Since these communications are transactional in nature, they must follow rules and regulations. Companies may not have the capacity to create them internally or risk delays in doing so, which is why many choose to let experts execute for them.
How to Evaluate Data Breach Notification Print and Mail Providers
If outsourcing data breach notification print and mail seems the best avenue, you’ll want to assess them based on this criterion.
Compliance Must Be Their Priority
First, you want to select a partner specializing in transactional print and mail. They have a foundation of compliance for all operations. Every process involves a compliance component, and they have staff members whose only focus is ensuring it.
Additionally, they should have certifications across all regulations, including SOC I & II, HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI-DSS, FISMA, and state breach notification laws. To assess their compliance acumen, request information on how they align with regulations and all the initiatives in place to ensure it.
Mail Delivery Should Be Reliable
Once notifications flow into the mail stream, how do you know the addressee received it? Outside of using certified mail, you can follow a letter through delivery. Tracking of mail includes using the USPS IMb (Intelligent Mail Barcode).
With this visibility available through an online portal, you’ll know the trail of every communication.
Data Accuracy Must Be Dependable
Errors in accuracy related to transactional print and mail can make a data breach even worse. There’s the additional risk of mis-mailings and exposing confidential information.
Accuracy should be a primary way to evaluate vendors. Those who perform well at this have strategic processes and equipment in place.
The process part often ties to practices like Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Using standard works, every part of the workflow has documentation behind it. This enables a repeatable and reliable process.
Equipment also plays a role. It includes intelligent inserters and barcode scanning of each document to verify what goes inside each envelope. These cameras scan the 2D barcode on each document to ensure the inserter folds the correct pages into each envelope. Another camera captures an image of the inserted envelope to validate the process.
Secure Data Receipt and Production Must Be Consistent
Security of data breach notification print and mail will be your top concern. You need to feel confident that transmitting the data and the entire process is exceptionally secure.
It begins with secure file processing that provides the safest way to exchange data and encrypt and protect it end-to-end. An SFTP (Secure File Transmission Protocol) is the recommendation. Then, automation converts data to letters with secure processes throughout the lifecycle.
In addition to virtual security, the production facility must have physical guardrails, such as:
- Controlled access
- Badge access systems
- 24-7 camera monitoring
- Door alarms
- Secure property perimeters
- Defined protocols for the destruction of any physical elements that include private and protected information
Learn More About Data Breach Notification Print and Mail Services
Ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant communications is a requirement. Challenges or missteps here can make a bad situation even worse. That’s why so many companies turn to experts in the industry like us. Explore our solutions for data breach print and mail.
