Document Security in your Virtual Mailroom

A virtual mailroom, or virtual post room, refers to the sending of transactional documents (such as invoices and statements) using fax, post or electronic means.

In a growing company, the task conducted by the virtual mailroom will become ever more complicated; for this reason it is not uncommon for a company to outsource their virtual post room.

General security in a virtual post room

When sending invoices, statements, or any documents regarding money, document security is extremely important. This is especially true in a virtual post room, because it is in sending that these documents are most vulnerable. The virtual post room transfers documents from the safety of your company to the outside world, where they will be vulnerable of not managed correctly.

Virtual mailroom security within your company

There are some simple measures which should be in place to ensure the safety of your virtual mailroom and in that, reassure your clients of their document security. Firstly, the building housing your virtual mailroom should have restricted access, only allowing registered company personnel to enter alone. This especially also true of rooms in which the virtual mailroom is housed. These rooms should be fitted with fire alarms, to protect postal invoices and statements and also computers running your system.

The staff running your virtual post room need also to be secure and companies working with more sensitive data may wish to employ CCTV to monitor staff. Also in compliance with the data protection act, your virtual post room staff should have signed sensitive information security forms. In extreme data sensitivity cases a CRB check may be carried out on staff.

Virtual mailroom security in sending documents

The sending of documents from a virtual mailroom or post room is the second area in which a security breach could occur. To ensure security, many companies such as Corcentric, prefer electronic document distribution in sending invoices and statements. A document sent in the post or by fax has a higher risk of damage or interception, as the paper copy is easily lost by the right person and found by the wrong person!

Documents sent from a virtual mailroom using the internet travel directly to a customer e-mail inbox. As their inbox is username and password protected as standard, increased security is already found. The virtual post room may also choose to send customers electronic documents via an e-mail link, and pose their own security questions to authenticate that customer.