Resources for Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic

i-SIGMA continues to receive questions from members regarding how to proceed during the COVID-19 outbreak, and we are sharing the answers with everyone. If you have a question during this time, please send it to communications@isigmaonline.org and we will get back to you.

Review IG Industry FAQs (last updated 27 April)

Preparing for What Comes Next

Data Security an Essential Business Necessitating COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization

Employees of data security firms have been classified as Essential Workers throughout the pandemic, and therefore, legitimately warrant such prioritization in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Though guidance regarding what is considered “Essential” during the pandemic varies by jurisdiction, one concept universal to all such guidance is that critical services provided to other critical infrastructures are deemed “Essential.” Assuring Essential Workers are among the first to be vaccinated is important to an accelerated and sustained recovery, and their prioritization is more than legally justified in any jurisdiction.

Present this letter as needed, explaining service providers’ Essential Services status in order to obtain necessary COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization for employees, or use it as a template to create your own letter. When creating a customized letter, members are advised to reference their local governing body’s definitions on what are considered Essential Services.

Download the Letter on Essential Services Necessitating COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization »

COVID-19 Exposure Notification Template

i-SIGMA was recently asked if we had a template for notifying customers of a potential COVID-19 exposure. While there is no legal obligation to notify another of possible contact, there is an ethical choice. For verbiage, we sought council from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); they offer a free download for an employee notification on this same topic. Also, in our research, the CDC clearly states that essential workers may continue to operate following a potential exposure, so long as they remain asymptomatic. You can also receive anonymous exposure notifications on your phone. Learn more about all of these:

• Template Notification of Potential Exposure to Customers
• Template Notification of Potential Exposure to Employees 
• More From the CDC Following a Potential Exposure

Learn About Anonymous COVID-19 Exposure Notifications for Your Phone

Victoria, Australia Statement on Essential Services

As Victoria, Australia recently went into a stage 4 lockdown, i-SIGMA released an official statement recognizing that information management, IT asset disposal, and secure data destruction are included in the “essential services” as outlined by the Victoria State Government to carry on during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Members in the area are encouraged to utilize this statement as evidence to support your business’s continued operations.

Download the Victoria Statement on Essential Services

Download the General Statement on Essential Services

Need a statement more specific to your area? Contact i-SIGMA today

Protection Measures Guidance

As secure data destruction and/or records and information management business, your services truly are essential. While governments release restrictions and economies prepare to re-open, it is important for clients and potential clients to understand the precautions you as a service provider have taken to keep their and your employees safe.
Our Protection Measures Recommendations

Crisis Management: Effective Communications in the IG Industry During COVID-19

While no one could have planned for the COVID-19 outbreak to disrupt the world as it has, secure data destruction and records and information management firms should have tools in place to face the rest of this pandemic well and to overcome any other crisis that comes their way. Read the latest i-SIGMA COVID-19 resource blog offering solutions for best practices in managing a crisis.
Managing a Crisis

New Template Available: Updated Communications to Clients

Continue to keep clients apprised of key information during this volatile time. Use this template as reference for communicating with customers the latest information.
Download templates by logging into the Member Portal and visiting “My Digital Library.”

Essential Services Letter to Law Enforcement

Present this letter as needed to law enforcement authorities explaining service providers’ Essential Services status, or use it as a template to create your own letter. When creating a customized letter, members are advised to reference their local governing body’s definition on what are considered Essential Services.

Download templates by logging into the Member Portal and visiting “My Digital Library.”

Also available in Spanish:
La seguridad de los datos es un Negocio Esencial
Obtenga una copia iniciando sesión en el Portal para Miembros y visitando “Mi biblioteca digital”.

Template: Official Statement to Clients

Utilize this template as a guide for to post an Official Statement to employees and clients.
Download templates by logging into the Member Portal and visiting “My Digital Library.”

Share on Social Media

Share your tips or craziness with other members in our association Facebook Group, i-SIGMA Social. Whether it is how you are having to navigate certain aspects of your business, or even something more lighthearted, this is the time to come together and talk about it with this community!

From Milano: Hybrid Solutions for the Next Normal in the Records & Information Governance Business

Hear some of the latest insights from Giorgio Spadoni, CEO – OMTRA, in Milan, Italy. Giorgio provides valuable insights on navigating your business during this “new normal” of business operations.

How Should Business Owners React to COVID-19?

i-SIGMA Co-President Christopher Jones shares five practical things that they are putting into practice at Secure Records Solutions as they manage COVID-19.

The Next Normal in the Information Governance Sector

Hear from Giorgio Spadoni, CEO – OMTRA on how to manage business during this pandemic.

Update: A Look at COVID-19 From Italy & How Day-to-Day Life Remains Altered

Discover how COVID-19 has continued to affect day to day life in this Update from Milan, Italy.

COVID-19 Insights from the Front Lines of Italy

Hear directly from a Member in Italy who shares what living under coronavirus quarantine has been like during the first few weeks of outbreak.

Latest Legislation Surrounding COVID-19

i-SIGMA is currently subscribed to the government advocacy and regulatory monitoring service, FiscalNote. View their Coronavirus updates and resource center as a way to stay up to date with legislation and more surrounding the pandemic.

FiscalNote Coronavirus Updates & Resource Center

Canadian Government Announces Details of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy

The Government of Canada is taking immediate  action to support Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak. To help Canadians and businesses get through these tough economic times, the Prime Minister announced that the Government is proposing to introduce a wage subsidy of 75 per cent for qualifying businesses, for up to 3 months, retroactive to March 15, 2020. This measure would support businesses that are hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and would help protect the jobs Canadians depend on during these difficult times.

Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

Federal Assistance for U.S. i-SIGMA Members

The association is currently planning a webinar on government assistance for businesses. In the meantime, i-SIGMA members in the U.S. are encouraged to visit the Dept. of Treasury website for more information.

Department of Treasury Website

SBA Emergency Loan Advice 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released guidance on the loans made available by the Federal Rescue Package signed into law last week. All i-SIGMA members are urged to contact their bank, CPA or other accounting professional immediately.  The association is currently exploring other ways to support members’ efforts in this regard. More to follow soon.

Read the Small Business Guide & Check List

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act was fast tracked through Congress and signed into law on 18 March 2020. i-SIGMA will work on breaking down what this means for service providers in the IG Industry in the coming days. You can learn about this legislation here.

More Resources

• World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Information
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Information
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID-19 Information
• Frequently Asked Questions About Coronavirus in the Employment Setting
  • Arizona Labor Attorneys, Fennemore Craig, published a helpful FAQ for businesses during this time that we believe would be of benefit to our members looking for guidance. As always, we recommend you consult your own legal counsel before implementing policies. Download the FAQ now.

COVID Shutdown Impact Almost One Year In – January 2021 Survey Analysis

Going into February one year ago, the economy was humming along. A month and half later, it came to a screeching halt. Over those initial months, surveys conducted by i-SIGMA showed how resilient our industry is. And, so, as the vaccine begins to roll out, we asked members to compare where they are now, to where they were before it hit.

View the Latest Analysis

September Member Sentiment Survey: Steady as She Goes

In the association’s latest monthly member survey, tracking the effects of COVID-19 across our industry, it appears that for the first time, more than half of respondents say they are doing business with 90% or more of their pre-shutdown customers. While this optimism is good to hear, there are other tracked data points that show how the shutdowns continue affecting businesses less positively.

View the Latest Analysis

Latest Industry Survey Shows that Members Agree: COVID-19 Effects on Business Not as Bad as First Feared but Not Over Quickly Either

The results of the fifth Member Sentiment Survey are in and reflect the reality that first appeared last month. When the lockdown orders first appeared around the world, most service providers felt the impact on revenues would be devastating, while thinking (perhaps wishfully) at the same time that it would only last a few months. Last month we began seeing data points that reflect a change in these previously held ideas.

Discover the Results of the Latest Member Survey

Third Industry Survey Reflects Optimism

Earlier this month we once again surveyed our members on how the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to affect their business. We are happy to report it appears the improvements and optimism reflected in last month’s survey results continue.

Discover the Latest Analysis

Survey Results: Monthly Comparison on the Outlook of the COVID-19 Impact on Businesses in the IG Industry

After a couple months of news going from bad to worse, there are signs things might be turning around. Stock markets around the world seem to thinks so. So do many corporate executives. Shelter-in-place orders are relaxing. i-SIGMA members think so too, at least according to the results of the second i-SIGMA COVID-19 survey measuring industry sentiment.

View the Latest Survey Results

Survey Results Part 2: The Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on IG Industry Businesses – Analyzing Revenue Lost

In looking more closely at our first survey results to analyze commonalities between those seeing the greatest and least revenue losses, we can draw a few conclusions. It seems that businesses operating in Records Management are the most protected against the immediate losses of the pandemic, as one would expect based on the business model. While data destruction companies in general have varied widely in the amount of losses, regardless of market or marketing efforts it seems that as with natural disasters and viruses themselves, the economic impact of a pandemic can feel at random.

View the Latest Analysis

Survey Results: COVID-19 Effects on Businesses in the iG Industry

i-SIGMA conducted an anonymous survey of members to gauge the impact the COVID-19 outbreak is having on businesses within the secure data destruction and records and information management industry. Review this real-time snapshot of what others are currently experiencing based on market size and services offered. After all, we’re all in this together.

View Survey Results

Below we have compiled a list of i-SIGMA associate members who are offering assistance to members during this time. If you are an associate member who has a resource to offer and want to be listed below, please contact i-SIGMA.

Bins4 Shredding 
With the current challenges in the industry, many shredders have been looking for a way to help their clients work from home. Our Security Shred Bag allows their clients to collect sensitive materials from the comfort of their own home and stay compliant with either pickups or a designated drop off location. We have created a generic spec sheet that we can customize with a shredder’s company logo and contact details (free of charge) to help them market this service. We are trying to help shredders educate the public and help shredders offset some lost revenue with everything going on.

Contact Cory Layes for more info: cory@bins4shredding.com | www.bins4shredding.com  

EZshred Software Systems
During these times of COVID-19 EZshred’s intuitive design has lended itself to:

• Cancelling a customer’s future stops with a few clicks and still be able to calculate present and future lost revenue.
• Cancelling a customer entirely with one click and then being able to restore the customer in the future with one click and not lose all your detailed setup information.
• Completely re-optimize routes with the remaining stops with a few clicks of the mouse.
• Work from home via our cloud.

If you would like more information, please contact us! Tiffanie Julian | 877-392-7123 x87 | EZshred.com 

Jake, Connor & Crew
Jake, Connor & Crew would like to thank everyone for their continued business and support during these unprecedented times. Our JAKE Foundation has supported many charities fighting COVID-19 worldwide.  As well, we wanted to demonstrate our continued support to our customers and industry in a tangible way by “Giving Back” and offering the lowest pricing EVER on our full catalogue of products until August 31^st, 2020.  We hope this will allow our customers the opportunity to allocate their resources during this difficult time to where they require it most.

For more information, please contact www.jakeconnorandcrew.com | sales@jakeconnorandcrew.com 

JT Environmental Consulting
JT Environmental Consulting has been assisting organizations throughout the COVID-19 crisis by offering remote consulting services thanks to documentation sharing programs as well as live on-site assistance via several applications. We recently assisted during a live R2 audit via GoToMeeting, which not only helped the client, but also the auditor through the remote auditing process of reviewing documentation. These steps allow us to eliminate travel fees, and ensures all staff remain safe during this unprecedented time.  We have offered these services prior to this pandemic, but now they have been utilized more and more often by our clients throughout the world.

For more information, please contact www.jtenv.com| (888) 583-6826

ShredMetrics
This unprecedented time has brought the need for good business data into sharp focus.  As the depth of the business shutdowns became clear, ShredMetrics added new features to Q-Shred to give easy reporting on cancellations and rescheduling requests.  Then we added a new tool into our mobile app: a way for drivers to properly mark a ticket when they showed up and the building was shuttered closed without warning!  For more about how our cloud based solution has been helping Shredders react and respond (even with office staff working from home), visit the Covid-19 blogs on our website.

For additional information, please contact Steve Innerfield, CSDS, at: steve@shredmetrics.com

Trans Lease
Many of our mobile shredding customers experienced a slow down or stoppage of their business during the Pandemic.  We offer payment relief for those in need, helping them meet critical other needs in their business.  We are proud to assist in this time of need. For more information please contact: www.transleaseinc.com
Eastern States | Terry Lee | 937-620-9400 | tlee@transleaseinc.com 
Western States | Doug Ferrante | 509-389-1267 | doug.ferrante@transleaseinc.com  

Total Recall Software by DHS Worldwide
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, DHS Worldwide has remained laser focused on helping to support RIM service providers navigate through these uncharted waters. Over the course of a series of educational webinars, DHS’s team of industry experts helped to share information to meet the challenges of today, including:

• Best methods for servicing customers considering social distancing
• Tips for protecting your customers and staff
• Best security practices when working from home
• New alternative service methods to generate revenue
• Best practices for ensuring strong customer communications and more

If you were unable to join DHS for these free industry learning opportunities, you can click here to access part 1 of the webinar series. In addition, please email info@dhsworldwide.com or call us at 904.213.0448 for access to additional content.

Waking Up Workplace Trainings
As a training company offering Naid Audit item 1.3 for certification, we are passionate about providing the best data available in our courses. We are excited to have the opportunity to share this free course with you. It was created and provided by Udutu Learning Solutions Inc., a major provider of course authoring tools and LMS (Learning Management Systems).
You will learn:

• What COVID-19 is
• What you should do to prevent getting it
• What to do if you think you have contracted the virus

Take the Free COVID-19 Training Course Now

For more information about Waking Up Workplace Trainings, please visit us at wakinguptrainings.com