As business owners and professionals, you understand the importance of document shredding and its impact on your company’s security. You may also be considering outsourcing that effort to a trustworthy document shredding provider rather than handle the work in house.
When evaluating different shredding providers, you might be asking all of the right questions about their shredding procedures, yet inadvertently overlooking a critical aspect – how secure are the documents in queue to be shredded? These confidential documents are fully intact, and therefore, pose a tremendous privacy and security risk should they be mishandled.
Mindful of this challenge, let’s examine what you should look for in a document container or console:
- Security plate. Much like a beveled or angled slot for a mail drop, a secure console will have a non-removable security plate that prevents documents from being removed once they are deposited.
- Static cling-free nylon bag. Due to the fact that even one non-shredded document poses a serious security threat, it is important to choose a provider that lines their consoles with cling-free nylon bags. You’ll be assured that all of the contents are captured and then destroyed entirely.
- Easy disposal. Look for document shredding providers that don’t require any sorting of materials or the removal of paper clips, staples, etc. prior to shredding. Many consoles are built with wide feed slots to accommodate larger volumes or paper or even bound materials. Making the disposal of such documents as quick and simple as possible helps ensure employee adherence.
- Non-moving. In theory, wheeled consoles sound like an excellent idea because they make transporting the documents to the shredder very easy. The console’s mobility, however, becomes a serious liability when thinking about document security because the entire unit and its contents can be wheeled away…and stolen.
Just as important as the console’s construction are the collection and destruction processes. First, ensure your potential document shredding provider offers regularly scheduled pick-ups. If the pick-ups occur too infrequently and the shredding consoles become filled to capacity, employees may be tempted to dispose of confidential documents in the garbage or recycling bins. Also, if your business cycle has times when you see a spike in confidential document creation, determine whether you can schedule pick-ups with short notice or one-time services.
Another consideration in the document collection process is whether the documents are left unattended once they are removed from the console. In the on site destruction model, the top providers have security checked and bondable personnel securely transport the materials to a truck, where documents are destroyed immediately. This process is highly secure because documents are not taken off the premises while intact, nor are they out of sight and exposed to additional people or weather elements.
Thinking about the entire document lifecycle, as opposed to simply destroying the document, can uncover additional security concerns and potential risks. That’s why finding a reputable and high-quality document destruction provider to walk you through the process is a smart idea for your business today and its future tomorrow.