Confidential information that is archived and not needed should not be thrown away, but destroyed permanently. This way the information is not disclosed or does not get into the wrong hands.
The idea of recruiting an external company to shred confidential documents or destruct hard drives seems unthinkable because an organization has the resources to do it themselves and that way they are assured that external parties will not get a hold of this information. However, hard copies of documents are often thrown into recycling bins during day-to-day operations. If the documents are electronic, remain on the company’s shared drive possibly accessible to all within the organization. Electronic copies may not be a problem but for hard copies, anyone dealing with recycling could scan through or steal this information.
1. Use shredding companies
Protecting company information from fraudsters demonstrate that the company is taking care of its interest and making sure that there are no errors resulting in company damages or consequences. Confidential information should never be allowed in garbage cans or recycling containers. This eliminates the chances of fraudsters finding and profiting from classified information.
Implementing a data breach program is the first step to ensuring confidential information is secured. The next step is to hire a trustworthy paper shredding company to execute the program. It is hard to see benefits for hiring external companies to securely and permanently erase sensitive information, but you will be surprised by the many benefits a reputable shredding company can offer.
2. Hiring a trustworthy shredding company
To remove doubt of hiring a shredding company, choose a company that has a global presence serving worldwide customers for many years; has proven to use best practices in information security and protection; and offers guarantee through a certificate of destruction confirming that the information will never be accessible to anyone including the shredding company itself.
A reputable shredding company can definitely save time, increase efficiency, have staff focus on core business tasks and eliminate any worry about information getting into the wrong hands.
3. Improving efficiency
By hiring an external shredding company, you have your internal staff focusing on the core business activities and goals. Confidential information such as ex-employees’ social insurance numbers or income information is best handled by a shredding company. Apart from shredding this information you don’t have to worry about employees forming long queues to use the shredding machine or have staff demotivated for performing monotonous tasks.
4. Reducing risks of malicious activities
External shredding companies are held liable and responsible and are in business to fulfill a company’s requirement. By using an external shredding company, you reduce the risk of internal disclosure or chances of information being used for malicious purposes. As a result, you prevent lawsuits or other damages to your company’s reputation.
5. Eliminating clutter and documents lying around the office
Shredding documents can end up as the last task on a to-do list, leaving documents lying around and piling up next to the shredding machine. Having documents shredded and destroyed immediately clears archive and storage spaces allowing for future growth and storage requirements.
6. Critical Information
Corporate information is considered critical assets such as old marketing plans, client lists, proprietary technology, old product patents and historical pricing that can be compromised if not shredded permanently and carefully.
We all know that shredding documents can be tedious and having staff responsible can leave them discouraged at work especially if they have to spend hours standing at the shredder. It might be alarming to share sensitive information with a shredding company. However, imagine if documents are stacked near the shredder and are accessible to anyone. If these documents are disclosed, a company’s operations can be jeopardized within minutes.
