Does Your Small Business Need To Invest In Shredding Services?

Nearly every type of business deals with some sort of sensitive data. Whether it is your company’s account information, strategic plans or customer data, even home-based business come in contract with private information. When you need to get rid of these types of documents, simply throwing them away does not prevent the information from reaching the wrong hands. By enlisting the help of a document shredding service, your small business can ensure that your private documents are safely disposed of.

What You Should Shred

When deciding which documents you should have shredded, there is a simple litmus test you can use. Ask yourself, “Would I want my customers, competitors or other people to see this?” If the answer is no, then shredding is the only secure way to destroy the data.

A few of the things that your small, home-based business should shred are:

• Account Data
• Credit Card Statements
• Telephone and E-Mail Logs
• Contractual Agreements
• Client and Patient Data

Simply throwing these types of documents out won’t cut it – criminals and others out to find sensitive information can easily recover the information. Similarly, office shredders do not provide the level of security that you need in order to make your data unreadable. With modern digital software, repairing documents shredded with an office shredder is relatively simple for today’s criminals. Instead, using a professional document shredder will make sure that your information is disposed of safely.

Benefits Of Using A Shredding And Document Storage Service

In order to guarantee the destruction of your private data, and to ensure that it is not recoverable, a professional shredding company is the safest bet. Shredding is not “one size fits all”, however. These companies often offer a plethora of different services such as:

• Off-Site Shredding
• On-Site Shredding
• Compliant Information Destruction
• Media Destruction
• Residents and Consumer Destruction

By using these services, you are promised the utmost in security. For your small business, off-site shredding provides a chain-of-custody for all of your sensitive information and allows you to have documents picked up at scheduled intervals or as needed. If you are dealing with ultra-sensitive data or would feel more secure witnessing the destruction of your documents, on-site shredding allows you to watch as your data is destroyed.

When you’re dealing with important documents and data, you can never be too cautious. With identity fraud running rampant, securing you and your client’s data is a foremost responsibility. Just as with large companies, small, home-based businesses can benefit from the many services offered by a document shredding company. These firms provide a myriad of different solutions to help your startup protect its sensitive data.