Sensitive information, including account numbers, customer data, and medical records, should be shredded before disposal. Identity thieves can easily steal information from discarded paper documents. Many industries have strict data protection regulations that require them to destroy confidential information within specific timeframes. Shredding ensures that your business complies with these regulations.
Saves You Money
Many businesses find that shredding paper regularly saves them a lot of money. Not only does it prevent a mess of piles of paper in office spaces, which can be a fire risk and cause health and safety issues for employees, but it also helps meet compliance regulations. For example, many laws (such as HIPAA) require specific destruction schedules for particular information. With reliable paper shredding in Fort Collinsservice, companies could avoid fines or other legal consequences for failing to meet these guidelines. Additionally, hiring a professional paper shredding company can help you save on in-office costs, such as purchasing and maintaining shredders, disposable bags, maintenance and utility expenses, and other fees. In the long run, this cost-effective solution allows you to focus more of your budget on growing and running your business. The best part? You’ll still be protecting your business data from potential threats.
Safeguards against Identity Theft
While cyberattacks are the most common security breach in today’s world, physical documents that contain sensitive information remain a threat. It is still common for thieves to take the lead from paper mail files and even documents found in dumpsters. Identity theft is one of the most dangerous crimes that can affect businesses, employees, and customers. It can lead to hefty fines, financial losses, and reputation damage. To safeguard against this, shredded papers can’t be reconstructed by identity thieves. In addition, many industries have strict data protection regulations that require them to dispose of confidential documents securely. Some laws, such as HIPAA, require that healthcare institutions shred patient information. This is a requirement to protect the privacy of patients, and shredding services ensure that this information remains unreadable. In addition, cross-cut shredding is more secure than strip-cut shredding, making it nearly impossible to reconstruct the documents.
Protects Your Company’s Reputation
Many new businesses make notes of staff details, sales data, and future business goals on paper. If these documents are not correctly disposed of, they could fall into the wrong hands and damage the company’s reputation. When companies use a shredding service, they can rest assured that all confidential documentsare disposed of correctly. It also means that they do not have to spend time feeding the shredder themselves, freeing up employees for other tasks. A trusted shredding service will also ensure that all employees involved in handling the documents are vetted and up to date on industry standards and regulations. The choice to enlist the help of a professional shredding company shows current and prospective customers that the company takes its privacy seriously and that it will not let sensitive information fall into the wrong hands. This is an excellent way to build trust with clients. Also, a professional shredding company can provide you with a Certificate of Destruction that proves industry standards destroyed your documents.
Saves You Time
In a fast-paced business environment, efficiency is critical. By delegating shredding responsibilities to professionals, you can save your team the time they’d otherwise spend manually destroying documents in-house with a cumbersome office shredder. This frees up your employees’ time to focus on core company functions contributing to your business’ growth and success. When papers are discarded, they can be easily picked up by the wrong people who could use them for identity theft or to commit other crimes. By entrusting your shredding to professionals, you can eliminate this risk and give your clients and patients peace of mind that their information is protected. Also, when large stacks of unused paper are burned, they produce unclean smoke that degrades air quality drastically and can expose your confidential information to scavenging by strangers. By shredding your paper, you can send it to recycling plants where the material is reused for a variety of purposes instead of adding more waste to our already overcrowded landfills.