How Confidential Shredding Can Help Your Business
Before choosing a confidential shredding company, you should meet with company representatives and tour their facility. Ask questions about security protocols, hiring procedures, and employee training. It would help if you avoided companies without these procedures. Your security is the top priority for the right shredding company. To find a secure shredding company, follow these steps. If you do not find a secure company, you can also consider the services of an off-site shredding company.
Secure destruction of paper-based documents
The process of destroying paper-based documents must be completed with utmost precision to guarantee the privacy of your confidential data. Secure destruction of these documents can be done through shredding. This process is efficient, cheap, and easy, and many retailers even sell shredders for the home. Besides protecting confidential information from identity theft, shredding documents also helps keep them out of landfills.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular methods. In addition to shredding documents, you can also add them to a compost pile to break down over time.
Make sure to shred documents before you add them to the pile. You also need to mix the materials well. While composting is an effective method for document destruction, it is not the most secure option.
Furthermore, glossy-coated papers cannot be composted. So, be sure to contact ITSS if you’re unsure how to secure the destruction of paper-based documents. As an added security measure, companies need to have a policy on document retention. While most organisations are required by law to keep records for a certain period, keeping no longer needed documents poses a significant security risk. If you do not follow this policy, you’ll be open to potential liability.
In addition, the longer you keep unneeded documents, the more likely they will fall into the wrong hands. That’s why what to keep and when to destroy it is so important. A certified data destruction company follows the highest standards in information security and chain of custody. It also follows strict chain-of-custody procedures and adheres to industry standards. A certified company can guarantee the secure destruction of paper-based documents.
It also provides certificates of destruction. There are many advantages to hiring a professional company to destroy paper-based documents. Aside from providing 100% privacy and security, shredding also ensures that sensitive information is destroyed and no one can retrieve the documents. Besides proper information security, secure destruction of paper-based documents is essential for maintaining a safe workplace.
Your company’s files and employee records can be at risk if you don’t properly dispose of them. You must have a “shred-all” policy that protects sensitive information. While it may be tempting to throw away private papers, this prevents the risk of information theft and other security risks.
Chain of custody protocol
If you shred sensitive documents at work, you should make sure the process follows the chain of custody. This protocol refers to each person who handled the documents until shredded. However, a chain of custody is stretched when an office shreds the documents themselves or if the destruction is done off-site. Because so many people are involved, there is a huge gap between the disposal request and when the documents are destroyed. This gap can cause leaks.
A documented chain of custody will allow you to prove the destruction of information. It can also protect customer data and sensitive internal information. To learn more about the chain of custody process, contact SEAM, an IT recycling and data destruction company which offers onsite shredding, hard drive wiping, and IT recycling services in six states. The chain of custody will protect sensitive information, so make sure you choose a provider who meets the highest standards.
The chain of custody process concludes with the certificate of destruction, which serves as a receipt. This document outlines the chain of custody, including the touchpoints, barcode numbers, and witnesses to destruction. It also helps you protect your business’s reputation and prevent data leaks. The certificate of destruction is an essential part of a secure and compliant shredding process. You must be sure you choose a company that uses this chain of custody protocol when you shred confidential information.
As a data controller, you should be aware of the importance of a secure chain of custody. If you do not have an auditable record, you will be at risk of getting regulated for not following the chain of custody protocol. Furthermore, a secure chain of custody also includes a Certificate of Destruction, a nationally recognised document that helps prove that your company is following all federal and state privacy laws.
A chain of custody protocol should include a signed document detailing who is responsible for the samples. Samples should be kept in a locked area with a keyed lock, which can prevent unauthorised access. Afterwards, samples should be transported to a secure storage facility. The transportation process should be as rapid as possible. A chain of custody protocol should also state the recipient of the completed data package.
This ensures that sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands.
Onsite shredding
The process of onsite confidential shredding may be beneficial to a business. You can shred any product onsite, including paper, hard drives, clothing, and other items. You can customise your onsite shredding program to fit your specific needs. Onsite services may also save your business money, reducing your overall costs. In addition to saving you money, this type of shredding can increase your productivity. Permanent onsite document shredding solutions are also a smart investment because they help protect your company’s customers and employees.
According to Javelin Strategy and Research, fifteen million people became victims of identity fraud in 2016 alone. However, you’ll want to choose a document destruction service with NAID certification. NAID-certified companies adhere to high standards of data security and ethical methods. If your company doesn’t use a certified shredding service, you’ll be putting yourself and your employees at risk for identity theft.
The importance of secure document destruction is undeniable. Businesses are legally bound to protect confidential information. Employees also have a right to privacy. This includes employee information and employment records. Employees’ information can be used for fraudulent purposes and money laundering. Therefore, it’s crucial to protect your sensitive information by engaging a third-party data destruction service.
And, don’t forget that the destruction of information in a secure manner is the best way to prevent these problems. Another option is an ongoing mobile shredding service. Onsite shredding services require that the documents be placed in secure containers and emptied into the truck containing the shredder. Some companies provide recurring onsite shredding, while others offer only when the security container fills up.
You’ll need to check the details of both services before deciding on which one to choose. In either case, it’s worth choosing a service that meets your company’s needs. Hard drive shredding If you need to dispose of hard drives that contain confidential information, hard drive shredding is the perfect solution. This process falls under electronic waste disposal, which is governed by state regulations. In many cases, companies are penalised for not properly disposing of these items.
Hard drive shredding companies have to get certified to destroy hard disks internally to avoid any problems. Such certification is costly and time-consuming. Hence, it is essential to contact your business’s legal and human resources departments before choosing a hard drive shredding service. This process destroys the physical hard disk component, making it impossible to retrieve the information stored in it. While the information on hard disks can be recovered using certain software, this method permanently destroys the physical hard drive and all electronic data.
This is an effective and efficient solution for the safe disposal of confidential information, which has become a prime target for hackers. The cost of deleting information from hard drives is high, but it is an easy way to protect yourself against a lawsuit. Performing internal hard drive shredding requires manual hard disk serial number reporting. This manual reporting process is prone to human error and manipulation.
Furthermore, employees may take advantage of the situation by tampering with hard drives. Hence, a concrete reporting system is necessary to minimise the chances of inaccurate reporting. Nevertheless, there is always a chance of cooperation between dishonest employees. In addition, hard drive shredding is environmentally friendly. Taking proper care of the hard drive is extremely important for your company’s security. Even seemingly innocuous information can be sensitive, and proper hard drive shredding is vital in this respect.
Incorrect disposal could lead to accidental disclosure of information, which is potentially damaging for a business. It’s vital to properly dispose of these devices so that you don’t risk exposing your company to liability.
Shredding – Learn more about UK business waste statistics here
Other useful links from our Commercial Waste Centre
The Benefits of Dry Mixed Recycling
Looking After Your Business Bins
Commercial Skip Hire – How to Find a Cheap Deal
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