Safe Document Destruction Practices for a Business
PROTECT your BUSINESS.
By not destroying your businesses’ confidential documents, you’re leaving a door wide open to identity theft and other types of serious data breaches. Now that we live in a time where illegal activities like this occur regularly for businesses, extra caution needs to be taken with all personal documentation, whether it’s hard copy or not.
By creating safe practices and policies in the workplace in regard to document destruction, these risks can be minimalised and perhaps eradicated all together. Here are some ideas which may help your business develop safe document destruction policies.
Leave your shredding to the professionals
Whether it’s mobile or in the office, hiring a shredding service not only saves you time and money, but you also receive a certificate of destruction after each service to provide you with a piece of mind that you’re safe from identity theft and data breaches. Additionally, by destroying your documents this way, you’re complying with Australian privacy laws.
Recycle after shredding
With concerns arising about the health of the planet, ShredEasy recycles all materials after shredding.
Paper: With onsite and offsite document destruction services, ShredEasy makes sure that all shredded paper is fully recycled. This means that after shredding, the paper is turned back into a pulp, for use in recycled paper products. Set up a regular or one-off collection and Shred Easy will do the rest for you.
Uniforms: Shredded material from old or un-used uniforms are also recycled and put to good use. This way, businesses can be confident that the shredded waste matter is securely managed and is dealt with in an environmentally friendly way.
Computers: Landfill waste is a growing problem. Technology is developing rapidly, and the number of old computers, old hard drives, unused USB sticks, tablets and mobile phones that are no longer required is exploding. Throwing them into the rubbish is dangerous, because anyone can access the information on them, even if you think you have deleted your files. ShredEasy’s technology destruction service is the perfect solution, and after the hardware is completely destroyed, all materials are recycled.
Shred everything, Immediately
By creating a policy where all documentation needed to be destroyed is done as soon as possible, it doesn’t leave anything open to interpretation. Create a list of documents that always need to be destroyed promptly, and ensure each employee is familiar with the procedure. Tip: Provide locked bins for employees to deposit documents slated for shredding. Thus, co-workers can’t get their hands on data in which they shouldn’t have access.
Secure all hard copies
Before hard copies are destroyed, are they being kept in a secure location in the office? Many businesses are so focused on the outside threats such as data breaches and identity theft, they often forget about the potential for internal threats. How many employees have access to the sensitive data stored in the workplace? By taking the same precautions with hard copies as businesses’ do with computer data, they have more chance of avoiding any potential breaches.
All businesses generate paper or other materials which need to be destroyed. Companies and sole traders can risk hefty fines and criminal prosecution should they ignore their legal obligation to undertake document shredding and secure document disposal appropriately. If you have an office environment that handles sensitive documents, allow ShredEasy to take care of them for you. They can also provide you with lockable bins for your business.