In an era where data security is paramount, proper disposal of physical documents and electronic media is crucial to protect sensitive information and prevent identity theft. Hiring a professional shredding company that offers destruction services at your location provides the ultimate peace of mind and ensures a complete chain of custody.
In this blog post, we explore how to prepare documents for shredding while highlighting the convenience and security offered by shredding services.
Why Choose an On-Site Shredding Service?
When it comes to document destruction, on-site shredding offers unparalleled convenience and security. With an industrial shredding truck deployed directly to your location, you can witness the destruction of your documents and electronic media firsthand, ensuring a complete chain of custody.
This level of transparency and control guarantees the secure disposal of sensitive materials, mitigating the risk of data breaches or unauthorized access during transport to a secure facility in an off-site location. On-premise shredding also complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which is the federal privacy law for private-sector organizations.
Preparing Sensitive Documents for Shredding
Whether your organization is completing a large office clean-out of boxes of unwanted documents or has signed on for a regularly scheduled mobile shredding service, here is how to prepare your documents for your visit:
1. Determining a Retention Schedule
Establishing a retention schedule for your business records is crucial when preparing documents for the shredding process. Different types of documents have varying legal or industry-specific retention periods. Consult relevant laws, regulations and industry guidelines to determine how long each document should be retained. This process helps you identify which records are ready to be shred while ensuring compliance with privacy laws.
2. Identifying Records To Be Shredded
Once retention periods have expired, securely disposing of sensitive documents using a professional shredding provider minimizes the risk of personally identifiable information from falling into the wrong hands. This includes sensitive data, such as full names, addresses, social security numbers, driver’s license details, financial information, medical records and more, which can lead to information breaches, fraud and unauthorized access. Other documents that should be shredded include internal financial records, bank statements, tax records, employee files and similar paper materials, and electronic waste that pertain to your organization.
3. Setting Aside Mixed Media
In addition to paper documents, many businesses accumulate a variety of non-paper media that may also require secure disposal, such as hard drives, flash drives, CDs and other electronic storage devices. A benefit of working with a shredding company is that these devices can be shred using industrial shred equipment. However, it is important to separate these mixed media items from paper documents for tracking purposes.
A reputable company will employ data security measures at every touchpoint by using serial numbers to track the entire destruction process from pickup to shredding. This added layer of security ensures that all sensitive information stored on these devices is securely and irreversibly destroyed to maintain data security compliance and provide a complete chain of custody.
4. Removing Staples, Paper Clips, Rubber Bands and Binder Clips
One of the advantages of using a professional shredding provider is that your employees don’t have to spend time removing staples, any form of paper clips or rubber bands to prepare boxes of documents to be shredded. Industrial shredders used in mobile shredding trucks can easily handle these fasteners, saving time and effort.
5. Securing Business Records for Shredding
When working with a professional mobile shredding provider, your office will have locked consoles to securely store confidential business documents until the scheduled shredding appointment. These consoles are specifically designed to prevent unauthorized access and protect the confidentiality of your information. They will remain locked until they are securely transferred to the awaiting truck by highly-trained and screened document security representatives.
6. Scheduling Document Shredding Services
Before scheduling an appointment, finding a reputable and reliable shredding service is essential to ensure the secure destruction of confidential documents and compliance with regulations. Look for a company with NAID AAA Certification to ensure the vendor meets the strict information disposal standards established by the National Association of Information Destruction (NAID).
When scheduling your appointment, the provider will determine how many documents your organization needs to shred, the type of information that must be shred (i.e. paper documents or mixed media), and how to prepare documents for shredding. The document shredding appointment will be scheduled on a preferred date and time and at your location.
Leave It to the Professionals
When partnering with a professional, it takes little effort to prepare your documents for secure shredding. These providers make it convenient and cost-effective, so your employees save time and energy organizing and shredding documents.
Sit back and relax on the day of your scheduled shredding service. Security representatives transport locked consoles containing all the documents to be shredded to the awaiting mobile shredding truck. You’ll be able to witness shredding firsthand through closed-circuit television, ensuring a secure and transparent experience.
After the service, you’ll receive a Certificate of Destruction as proof that your documents have been securely shred and that all shredded materials are properly disposed of.
Easily Safeguard Confidential Data With Blue-Pencil
Properly preparing documents for shredding is a crucial step in safeguarding sensitive information and preventing sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Utilizing a professional shredding provider, such as Blue-Pencil, you can ensure your documents and electronic media are safely destroyed with little effort.
From determining retention periods to utilizing locked consoles and witnessing the secure shredding service firsthand, professional destruction services offer convenience, security and compliance with privacy regulations. When you work with Blue-Pencil, you’ll receive a Certificate of Destruction after your service to validate that your shredded documents were destroyed according to privacy laws and adequately disposed of.
Take the necessary steps to protect your confidential information and choose a reliable shredding service for secure document destruction services. Whether you want to book a one-time purge or a regular shredding service on a pre-determined schedule, contact our team at Blue-Pencil for assistance in determining the right service option for your organization and to obtain a free quote.