How to Protect Documents from the Risk of Loss or Damage

14 March 2025

Documents, both physical and digital, are valuable assets that need to be kept safe. Losing or damaging documents can cause great losses, both financially and emotionally. Therefore, it is important to take precautionary measures to protect documents from various risks.

Risks That Threaten Documents:

Natural disasters:
- Floods, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters can damage or destroy physical documents.
Physical Damage:
- Physical documents are susceptible to damage from water, fire, humidity, insects, and improper handling.
Lost:
- Documents can be lost due to misplacement, theft, or negligence.
Digital Damage:
- Digital documents can be damaged by viruses, malware, hardware failure, or cyber attacks.

How to Protect Physical Documents:

Proper Storage:
- Store documents in a dry, cool place and safe from direct sunlight.
- Use water and fire resistant containers or folders to protect documents from water or fire damage.
- Store important documents in a safe or secure storage box.
Copy Creation:
- Make photocopies or scans of important documents and store them in a separate place.
- Store digital copies in cloud storage or an external storage device.
Routine Care:
- Check the condition of the documents regularly and make corrections if necessary.
- Avoid piling up too many documents so they don't get damaged easily.

How to Protect Digital Documents:

Data Backup:
- Perform regular data backups to cloud storage or external storage devices.
- Make sure the backup data is stored in a safe location and separate from the original data.
Protection from Viruses and Malware:
- Install trusted antivirus and anti-malware software and keep it updated.
- Avoid downloading or opening files from unknown sources.
Password Security:
- Use strong and unique passwords to protect digital documents.
- Change your password regularly.
Cloud Storage:
- Take advantage of a trusted cloud storage service to store digital documents safely.