Court reporting firms handle confidential, sensitive
information on a routine basis. The deposition, hearing, or Grand Jury
transcripts they produce often contain trade secrets, details about a person’s medical
or psychological history, and business or personal financial information.
Additionally, medical, technical, and financial records are often entered into
the record as exhibits the reporting firm takes possession of at the end of the
proceeding.

Transcripts (with their accompanying exhibits) are almost
always delivered electronically, in addition to the hard copy original. How can
court reporters make sure they’re keeping this vital information secure?

·        
Backup
your data regularly. That is a simple admonition, but often ignored.
Information loss isn’t always due to hacking; sometimes it’s due to a technical
glitch destroying files that are not backed up or a laptop that’s stolen or
accidentally destroyed. Use a password-protected external hard drive (preferably
stored in a safe when not in use) or a secure cloud-based service, and back up
at the end of every work day at a minimum.

·        
Use
complex passwords, and a secure password management program. Your laptop
and mobile devices should all be locked when not in your physical presence, and
your email account and court reporting software passwords should be unique,
complex, and backed up in a password manager like Dashlane.

·        
Keep your
anti-virus and anti-malware definitions up to date, and run regular scans.
It’s not fun, but if you keep up with it you might avoid your computer
automatically applying an update at an extremely inopportune time.

·        
Use two-factor
authentication. In case you are unable to access your online accounts and
need to reset your password, two-factor authentication ensures that you’re
actually the person resetting the password.

·        
Look at
all email attachments with a critical eye. Even if (especially if) an email
attachment is coming from a known contact, be wary of downloading attachments
that you’re not expecting. Malware or ransomware can be installed on your
computer when you open a PDF, a Word doc, a ZIP file, or any type of file,
really. Confirm with the sender that they really sent that attachment before
you open it.

·        
Keep your
software up to date. As with anti-virus and anti-malware definitions,
software updates can patch security vulnerabilities and are critical to data
security.

·        
Make sure
any ancillary services you use have strong security protocols. For example,
video conference providers like Zoom
ensure that data captured during a video conference deposition is secure. Any
website or software program that comes in contact with confidential information
should list the types of security protocols they utilize to keep your data
safe.

A court reporter’s duty as the guardian of the record
applies even in cyberspace. At Legal Media Experts, we take that duty
seriously. Schedule your next deposition today using our online scheduling toolor calling 800-446-1387.