Every business could potentially be at the risk of identity theft and there are no favorites. Small, medium and large businesses and enterprises are capable of having key information compromised. Most businesses are aware of the need to use secure protocols when storing confidential information online. However when it comes to handling paper documents most businesses do not do enough to properly get rid of this information. Confidential data should never be simply thrown into the trash! Consider these tips for quick document shredding and keep your business safe from identity theft.
Know what confidential information consists of
If your business is unaware of what information someone could use for identity theft it makes it hard to protect against. Criminals are looking for records including financial information of any kind or information that can be used to create accounts in someone’s name such as social security number, address and date of birth. Even competing businesses may want this information to steal your customers or figure out your business strategy. Documents that should be shredded include bank and financial statements, credit card offers received in the mail, office correspondence, invoices, medical records, employee files and tax records.
Buy a shredder
Even a small business will quickly see that using a small shredder themselves will take up valuable time needed to run the office. This is because the machines can only shred a few pages at a time and requires constant changing of trash bags. In addition, these machines can quickly burn out from the constant use. For more convenience, larger heavy-duty shredders can handle credit cards, CDs and multiple sheets of paper. Steel cutting heads can even cut through paper clips and staples so you don’t have too. Though better than small trash can sized shredders they will still require office workers take the time to shred the papers.
Use commercial services
Offering the best mix of convenience and security is professional confidential waste disposal companies. These companies handle the projects that even a heavy duty shredder cannot complete such as destroying a hard drive. Once a contract is agreed on, you can schedule their services as often as needed. They will come to your location and remove all the material you want shredded. Security storage boxes can be set up at the office and documents that require shredding can be dropped in. These boxes are locked with a key so no one can get access to them without permission and keeps them safe from identity theft until the documents are shredded.
For offsite shredding, your confidential information will be collected by fully bonded and insured drivers in a secure vehicle. Then taken to a secure location and immediately destroyed using industrial equipment, all while security cameras keep track at every step. For those who prefer being able to see their documents get destroyed, onsite shredding can also be done. Shredding companies in mobile destruction vehicles will destroy your confidential information while you watch.
Shimshon Hazan operates Shredex, the leading Florida Shredding company. Visit these links to know more about the shredding process and document destruction and recycling in Florida
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/why-do-we-need-to-shred-documents-1010622.html
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for posting this. It's incredibly important to shred documents. This post gives the reasons why.
I completely agree, it's very important to shred personal documents. The threat of identity fraud is evident and I've heard of people going through rubbish bags just to find personal details. Then there's the hassle of proving the crime to your bank. All in all it makes sense to dispose of personal documents in the right manner to prevent them getting into the wrong hands.