Shredding: Doing it Yourself vs. A Professional Solution
You already understand the importance of privacy protection and your legal responsibility for destroying confidential information. HIPAA, FACTA, SOX and GLB compliance is dependent on your ability to implement and follow a destruction policy. Handling all of your shredding needs in-house may initially seem like an inexpensive option given the affordability of office shredders and the fact that you can have your staff destroy documents. However, these savings may be negated by other factors, which we discuss here.
Time and distraction
Shredding equipment has to be regularly maintained to ensure it is constantly in working order. Some devices require regular oiling of their blades. Paper jams should be regularly cleared and the shredding receptacle frequently emptied. Each step in the process requires time that may distract from other tasks.
In-house shredding also distracts from core operational activities. Paper clips, staples and rubber bands must be removed from files prior to being destroyed. Documents have to be separated into easily shredded stacks. Aside from consuming time, the process is tedious and can frustrating for your staff.
A professional shredding service eliminates the burden and time associated with handling destruction in-house. Documents can be securely disposed of more expediently. And as your information destruction needs grow, you won’t have to purchase additional shredders and or place a heavier burden on your staff.
Consistency and reliability
Lack of time and excessive frustration can also lead to procrastination and neglect in the information disposal process, but professional shredding ensures that your business information is destroyed on a regular basis. Secure collection containers are placed throughout your office and their contents are collected at pre-appointed intervals: daily, weekly or monthly. Inserting a no-longer-needed file into a bin is done in the fraction of the time it takes to use a typical shredder. Because the process is so convenient, your staff is more likely to actually do it.
Added security
It’s common for expired documents to sit in a purgatory-like state before they are actually shredded. Empty boxes, desktops, and other un-secured receptacles are favorite “holding areas” for documents that need to be destroyed. Employees push documents aside until they find enough time to actually shred them. This increases privacy breach risks for your company.
In a professional shredding process where locked shred bins are used, information is securely held until it is destroyed, reducing the risk of unauthorized exposure of confidential personal or business information. NAID AAA Certified plant-based shredding companies undergo an extensive audit process before being endorsed. Additionally, the shredding process is recorded and stored for 90 days.
Protection for the entirety of your information
The right professional shredding service not only enables secure destruction of paper documents, but also computer media and hard drives containing sensitive digital data—without having to outsource an additional destruction solution separately. Each drive and tape received is barcoded and scanned with a serial number that serves as the alternate ID, to verify destruction. A certificate of destruction listing each hard drive by serial number is provided at the end of the destruction process.
Richards & Richards provides secure shredding solutions to business throughout Nashville. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.
