A shredding and document storage company essentially takes on the task of maintaining and destroying confidential records. Serving both businesses and individuals, they also offer related services like computer hard drive destruction, secure off-site records storage and file scanning and imaging.
What are paper shredding services?
What are document shredding services and why are they needed? Even in the age of computers, businesses still store about 95% of all their information on paper. Both storage and disposal of documents must be done securely, to prevent information theft. According to the FBI, American businesses lose almost $24 billion a year due to information theft.
Using a document shredding service to dispose of old records reduces the risk of information theft. It also reduces the risk of fires. Shredding paper can save valuable office space as well as reduce the risk of fires. Since the shredded paper is recycled, it helps the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recycling paper produces 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution than making paper from trees.
What documents should be shredded?
Despite the periods cares about the safety of information stored online, less than 10% of all identity theft cases happen online. Paper records are much more vulnerable to information theft. Medical and financial records must be stored and disposed of securely. A shredding and document storage company can handle almost all of your document security needs.
Some of the types of documents that should be shredded when they are no longer needed are:
- All financial documents: old bank statements, cancelled or unused checks, tax returns
- Insurance forms and records
- Legal documents like wills and contracts
- Medical records
- Credit card documents-receipts, statements, offers
- Junk mail with your name and address
- Customer lists and personal information
- Company information-management reports and strategies, human resource data, price lists, bids and proposals, marketing information
- Government classified information
How does it work?
Secure shredding services use advanced technology to reduce the shredded paper to smallest sizes, that can not be put back together by the most skilled criminals! Most document shredding companies offer both onsite or offsite services, meaning, they can come to your office or home, or you can bring your documents to be shredded to them.
The fastest shredding trucks can shred up to 5000 pounds of paper in an hour. Many paper shredding services allow you to watch the destruction of your material in their shredding stricken. They will even give you a Certificate of Destruction when the task is completed.
Shredding or recycling? Why not both!
Shredding before recycling is a better option than recycling alone. The security of materials awaiting recycling can be compromised. Shredded materials can also be recycled, but the extra step offers total security for sensitive materials.
A shredding and document storage company can improve your business security, as well as reducing the amount of secure storage you need to find on your premises for your important documents.