Portable storage media — which includes USB flash drives, SD or micro-SD cards (and the devices that contain them), and external hard drive units — allow employees to access or back up business data both inside and outside the office. However, the ease of use presented by portable storage devices can also place companies at significant risk of lost or stolen data. Moreover, malware can infect portable storage media, which can then be inadvertently or purposely introduced inside an organization’s networks, jeopardizing business operations.

This customizable policy, written by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic Premium, provides guidelines for the regulated and secure usage of portable storage devices. 

• Featured text from the download:

  Only authorized devices may be used for portable storage, and these must be approved by the IT department in advance and/or provided by the company. If company property, these devices must be surrendered to the organization upon employee resignation or termination.

  Only company data that employees need to access from portable storage media may be kept on such devices. Consider the use of secure VPN access or cloud storage instead — however, any requirements involving remote or cloud access to data must be adhered to as well to ensure company security.

  No sensitive or confidential data should be kept on a portable storage device in unencrypted format. Employees must use software-based encryption, such as BitLocker, or hardware-based encrypted flash drives.

  Portable storage devices approved for use must be physically secured at all times and never left unattended.

Boost your business operations with our five-page document. This is available for download at just $9. Alternatively, enjoy complimentary access with a Premium annual subscription.

TIME SAVED: Crafting this content required 10 hours of dedicated writing, editing, research, and design.