On average, a data breach costs a company 8.19 million US dollars. To avoid these costs and lost productivity, companies must invest in their data security, both for their own sake and to protect their customers.

During the coronavirus pandemic, with most employees working from home, a principled approach to data security has become even more important. In this article, we’ll look at why data security matters, how remote work has changed the game, and why OCR Gateway is a partner you can trust to solve many of your data security challenges.

The Value of Privacy and Security

From regulatory headaches to lost customers, the fallout from mishandling private data is significant for every business. Your customers and partners trust your company with their information. If your company works in industries like healthcare, law, or finance, you’re also bound by many laws that require you to be even more careful with customer data.

Adapting Security to the Age of Remote Work

When working from home suddenly became the norm in March 2020, many companies—even those with well-thought-out security and privacy plans—entered uncharted territory.

When employees work remotely, paper-based workflows are even more awkward. Instead of passing documents between employees in person, companies have to mail physical paperwork. Workflows that used to involve paper forms and mailings got slower and harder to complete securely, since documents are now mailed to locations with less physical security and oversight than an office.

Most companies, from startups to established enterprises, started or rapidly expanded their digital transformation initiatives to cope with these challenges. Digitization with OCR technology can solve many of the problems that arise from paper in a remote-first environment.

OCR Gateway and Data Security

OCR Gateway’s core product is cloud-based OCR software that digitizes scanned paperwork. From tax forms to invoices, lots of sensitive information passes through OCR Gateway on a daily basis. In addition to the efficiency benefits of digitizing paperwork, data stored digitally is easier to share and collaborate on in a secure way.

While digitized documents done right can alleviate many security and privacy concerns, some risks still remain. If scans of sensitive documents are left on improperly secured devices, personal computers, or emailed insecurely, the data remains vulnerable.

That’s why OCR Gateway includes a variety of data security features on the input, output, and storage sides. Documents can be scanned directly to our cloud service without leaving a trace on the connected computer. Whether you choose to upload documents to OCR Gateway from third-party cloud storage or a local computer, your sensitive data will never be handled insecurely.

Once OCR Gateway finishes extracting data from your documents, it can be stored securely or forwarded to an internal system of your choice. With advanced access control and privacy-conscious data handling, you’re sure to find that OCR Gateway is a safe and secure solution.

Interested in learning more about how OCR Gateway can solve your business’s data privacy issues in the era of remote work? Contact us today to request a demo.