Paper Shredding Insights

We have all seen a scene in a movie where forensic detectives reconstructed shredded paper to obtain vital information. While dramatic and perhaps unlikely that someone would go to this trouble in real life it still could in theory happen. More common is paper shredding not done properly or thoroughly. One slip up could leave confidential information exposed and this lack of oversight could open the door to hackers or allow access to confidential materials. The common office shredder often jam or office workers try to shred more paper then the machine can handle

If you or your business depends on document security, here are some things you should consider.

 

The Threat

What most businesses do not realize is that often information obtained from improper shredding is used as a doorway. Identity thieves uses the info obtained with additional data that can be publicly gathered about someone or their business that can produce a key that unlocks access for them to steal one’s identity.

Information to the right questions, for example, could give an attacker access to a bank account or a credit card account, which might unlock access to the next step, and so on. Obtaining a person’s identity security, credit information or other confidential data is far more like gathering information through investigation than it is like discovering buried treasure.

It is for this reason that documents must be securely destroyed before disposal with services like paper shredding, by a trusted and secure shredding service using state of the art equipment.

 

The Solution

When businesses think of paper shredding, they probably think of long parallel strips sliding out of a machine and into sort of a trash can. Now while that can be a moderately effective way of destroying a document, it is by no means the most secure method.

A crosscut shredder is a device that destroys documents by not just mutilating them along one axis, but also chopping them into tiny pieces along the other. So instead of one sheet of paper producing a couple dozen long strips, it instead produces a handful of confetti. While it is still possible to reconstruct a document from the remains of a crosscut shredding, it is likely far more difficult and time consuming. Cross-cut shredders are generally slower than strip cut machines, but they can sometimes have higher storage capacity for waste due to the increased compression of the smaller pieces.

A mobile paper shredding service typically cost less than a cup of coffee for most businesses. Would not a couple of dollars be worth peace of mind and your businesses security? Call Proshred to learn how our custom shredding service will allow you not to worry about this aspect of your business.