The Top Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shredding Provider
With identity theft and business privacy breaches at an all-time high, secure destruction of your important business documents is big business. Unfortunately, the space is crowded with fly-by-night vendors hoping to make a quick buck. To ensure the highest standard of service and privacy protection for your business, consider these top factors when choosing a shredding provider.
Experience
The last thing you need is a fly-by-night, irresponsible third-party handing your sensitive information. Be sure to verify your provider’s experience before setting up a shredding service. Find out how long they have served customers in your city and ask for client references.
Customization
Your business has unique document disposal needs based on your budget, industry compliance standards and internal audit requirements. Therefore, you don’t want a one-size-fits-all document destruction solution. Rather, you need a customized plan for the destruction of your documents. A qualified shredding provider will thoroughly assess your information disposal requirements and consider the retention, legal and regulatory factors that affect your business before providing a customized shredding solution.
Technology
The technology used to shred your documents says a lot about your provider. From security bin construction, to container tracking, to the paper shredder and balers themselves, take note of the type and quality of equipment used to collect and destroy your information. Ongoing investments in best-in-class, industry leading technologies are evidence your shredding provider is serious about protecting your privacy.
NAID AAA Certification
Many shredding providers claim they possess a large number of shredding industry certifications. NAID AAA Certification is the one that matters most. The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) provides oversight for the shredding and destruction industry. In addition to verifying that strict chain of custody processes are followed, NAID AAA Certified document destruction vendors are subject to stringent, unscheduled audits confirming compliance with NAID security standards regarding:
- Personnel screening practices
- Equipment and facility safety
- Insurance requirements
A NAID AAA Certified document destruction company ensures the privacy of your information through strict processes, ongoing training, and independent audits.
Professional Affiliations
You also learn a lot about a prospective document destruction partner by assessing their involvement in professional trade organizations. Look for a company involved with the following organizations:
- Professional Records and Information Services (PRISM) International
- The Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) International
- Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)
- Data Protection Association (DPA)
Involvement and active leadership in these organizations is an indicator of a potential shredding vendor’s commitment to records and information management best practices.
If you consider the factors we’ve mentioned here, you’ll discover that finding a top notch shredding provider is much easier than you thought.
Richards & Richards provides secure shredding services for business throughout Nashville. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.
