March 9, 2018
Plant Base Paper Shredding Benefits that Minimize Business Risk
If plant base shredding isn’t part of your company’s risk management strategy, you need an update.
No matter what type of business you’re in, at some point you have documents that contain information you must keep secure.
There’s only so much you can store in your building or even in digital format, and after a while, it’s time to get rid of those documents.
With identity theft swiftly rising, it’s imperative that you continue updating security solutions for your business. Plant base shredding is a leading solution for managing data destruction.
Plant Base Paper Shredding Explained
When you use this option, you outsource your document destruction tasks to an off-site facility; a plant where they use a bulk shredding process.
The location has equipment to process shred requests quickly and efficiently, shredding thousands of documents at a time with powerful machinery.
5 Reasons to Use Plant Base Shredding
Fast process
You don’t have to worry about papers sitting around with bulk shredding. The technology and equipment allow a quick turnaround.
Convenient for business to keep going
Since you’re not handling the shredding in house, there’s no need to involve your employees who have other roles within your company.
Business continues, keeping customers satisfied and revenue coming in while you still take care of keeping their information secure.
Saves money
Since your employees keep their regular duties, you’re not losing money by interrupting the workflow.
You also don’t have to hire additional internal staff to handle bulk shredding, so you save again by having less payroll, benefits and less training.
Offsite shredding means you don’t have to buy equipment, setup space in your building, or use extra power.
In-house is not the only way you save money. Paper shredding rates are affordable if you work with the right company.
Finding a company that charges per usage prevents you from wasting money, and you know what costs to expect upfront.
Unmatched flexibility
Even though employees aren’t handling the shredding, someone has to oversee the transporting process.
Several options make it easy to work around business operations.
If it’s not convenient for staff to drop off documents, you can schedule a pickup for the best time.
Most secure data shredding option
Most think keeping documents within the business location is most secure, but that’s a big mistake.
Leaving sensitive data around the office makes it vulnerable for acquisition during burglaries.
Employees could also have their eyes and hands on unauthorized documents.
Sending confidential information to a plant gives the business more protection because the documents are secure throughout the process, from pickup to destruction.
Plant base shredding uses cameras to monitor pick up, delivery, and the shred process.
There’s a limit on who has access to the documents during shredding, and staff has background checks.
Workers also document the process, recording every step. You’ll know who authorized the delivery, who picked up the materials, who shredded them, and the time of each activity.
Products that are too risky to not destroy
Paper isn’t the only thing you have to worry about getting into the wrong hands. In the digital age, we’ve all become familiar with data theft.
There are several items you need on your destruction list when it’s time to clean house.
Documents
Don’t just throw papers away no matter how harmless you think it is.
The smallest amount of information can give an identity thief just what they need.
With the last four digits of someone’s social security number, they can access the full number and even more information.
Have a plant base paper shredding facility on call to help you keep documents out of harm’s reach.
These are some of the documents you should schedule to shred regularly when you no longer need to keep them on file.
- Medical records
- Financial statements
- Tax documents
- Banking information
- Employee records
- Customer profiles
- Payment information
Heavy weight paper
Since bulk shredding equipment isn’t like your home shredder, you can get rid of thicker paper material like cardstock or cardboard.
Names, addresses, and other sensitive content are on boxes, heavyweight paper, packaging material.
That’s a crafty way for competitors to gain information about your clients or even your suppliers.
Shred these documents to keep you and your information confidential for everyone your company connects with.
Clothing
Yes, you can and should shred clothing as a safety precaution.
When you watch shows where criminals dress in company uniforms to get into the building and steal money or information, it’s not farfetched. This scenario has really happened and could happen to you.
Shredding uniforms helps keep criminals out of your facilities.
When employees leave the company or get new uniforms, request the old ones back and destroy them.
Computers
Whether it’s a desktop or laptop, cashier terminal, business tablet, or phone, computers are the way we do business.
Our digital devices store tons of information that hackers would love to get their hands on.
That’s why it’s not enough to just pile old devices in a storage room or throw them in the garbage.
When it’s time to replace your computer equipment, you can send it to your shredder too.
Hard drive shredding
Even if you transfer or delete all information from your old computer, the internal hard drive stores all the information.
Some companies give their old computers to employees or sell them back to their technology vendor.
From there, you won’t know where the computer or information will land.
Before you dispose of your digital device, remove the hard drive and send it to your bulk shredding company.
CDs
Most transitioned from using CDs to flash drive and cloud services.
Getting rid of those old CDs is a critical part of your security protocol to protect business information.
Prevent identity theft by doing your part
Identity theft puts more than your business at risk. It hurts customers and employees.
Imagine the chain of events that comes from a data breach.
You’ll have to take measures within your business, make things right with employees, and deal with angry customers.
Losing customers could be the least of your worries as lawsuits come pouring in from attorneys, clients, and employees who feel your company didn’t protect them.