Many small businesses placing themselves and their customers at risk by not copying and storing sensitive business documents

March 31, 2008; 06:21 AM

TORONTO, March 31 /CNW/ - Many Canadian small businesses are puttin themselves and their customers unnecessarily at risk by not copying and storing important or sensitive business documents, according to a survey conducted by Harris/Decima for Epson Canada, a leader in advanced imaging technology.

While 78 percent of small business (1 to 10 employees) respondents indicated they are concerned about properly storing important business documents, only 17 percent are storing all of their documents in both hard and soft copy files. In addition, only 10 percent of small businesses are storing all of their important documents just in hard copy format and only 6 percent are storing all of their important documents in just soft copy files. The survey was conducted online between March 14 and March 20, 2008, among 502 small business owners aged 18 years of age or more.

According to the poll, 90 percent of those who do not store any documents in soft copy say they have not adopted an electronic system to store their important business documents because they believe it is not necessary to do so (50 percent) or they never thought about it (25 percent) or they think it's too expensive (15 percent). The remaining 10 percent admitted they didn't understand the importance of making soft copies of important business documents like contracts or invoices and storing them electronically.

Among respondents who make proper file copies, the regular file cabinet in the office is the preferred storage choice for those who make hard copies of their important documents (75 percent), while the personal computer is the preferred storage place for those who make soft copies of such documentation (62 percent). Just 13 percent indicated they store their hard copies in a fireproof file cabinet in the office. Only 2 percent indicated they store their hard copies in a fireproof file cabinet offsite.

"Given the easily accessible and affordable copy and storage solutions that exist in the marketplace today and given some of the copying, scanning and printing technology that many small businesses already have in their offices, too many of them are putting themselves and their customers unnecessarily at risk," said Michelle Warren, Senior Research Analyst, Info-Tech Research Group. "These small businesses need to talk to an IT professional about what can be done to rectify this situation before their livelihoods are destroyed by fire or water damage - and certainly do that before their customers quite rightly begin to hold them to account for taking such a needless risk."

"For what many small business owners pay for their morning coffee, they could be properly copying and storing their important business documents and removing any risk to their businesses and clients," explained Tamara Walsh, Marketing Manager, Epson Canada Ltd. "Many of the small business owners we surveyed are providing critically important services to Canadians like accounting, insurance, legal and real estate. Documents like tax returns, life insurance policies, mortgages and wills are far too important to leave unprotected as many of them appear to be today in small business offices across the country."

Ms. Walsh recommended that small business owners consider two copy and storage options, depending on their preference to work with either hard copy or soft copy files:

    Option 1: For those who prefer to work with hard copy files, the combination of an Epson Stylus C120 printer and an onsite fireproof, water-proof file cabinet will provide them with an affordable, long-lasting solution. Additionally, the fade resistance of the inks used by Epson on plain paper is rated up to six times longer than leading competitive prints(1). The Epson Stylus C120 printer has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $69.99.

    Option 2: For those who prefer to work with soft copy files, the combination of an Epson Stylus CX8400 printer, an external hard drive and an onsite fireproof, waterproof file cabinet or small safe will afford them an economical, dependable solution. The Epson Stylus CX8400 all-in-one printer scans hard copy documents into soft copy files quickly and accurately. It has an MSRP of $99.99.

    About Epson Canada

    Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business photography and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Epson Canada Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Epson America, Inc., which is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson Canada Limited is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. For further information about Epson
products and services, please visit www.epson.ca.

    (1) Ink fade resistance ratings based on accelerated testing of unframed colour prints in indoor display condition; claim that documents resist fading up to six times longer is based on accelerated testing of unframed colour prints on plain paper in indoor display conditions. Actual print stability will vary according to light intensity, temperature, humidity and other factors. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. See www.wilhelm-research.com

For further information: John B. Challinor II APR, Cohn & Wolfe, (416)
924-5700, Ext. 4019, John.challinor@cohnwolfe.ca; Martha Linton, Cohn & Wolfe, (416) 924-5700, Ext. 4048, Martha.linton@cohnwolfe.ca