Getting papers shredded securely is not only an important step to protecting businesses and customers, it’s also the law. Federal law requires businesses to destroy personal information as soon as it is no longer necessary to keep the information for business purposes.

Requiring and Storing Personal Information from Customers and Employees

There are many reasons why a company needs to collect personal information during the normal course of business. This information is used for everything from processing payroll for employees to researching client profiles. Most of this information is necessary for a brief period of time, then it must be disposed of properly. Paper shredding is the best way to dispose of the information securely.

Identity Theft Reduction

There is no way for businesses or individuals to completely eliminate the risk of identity theft, however paper shredding is the best way to mitigate the risk. Living in the information age means that businesses depend on being able to access information quickly and easily, however it also means that information may be easily available to thieves if proper precautions are not taken. Protecting information as much as possible is why onsite document shredding is so important.

Which Information Should be Shredded?

It is obvious that documents that contain financial information such as credit card numbers or bank account numbers should be disposed of using paper shredding, however other information can be just as damaging if it reaches the wrong hands. Any documents that contain names with birth dates, home addresses or social security numbers should be shredded as soon as possible. This information can be used by thieves to gain access to bank accounts and medical records. It may also be used to forge loan applications and credit card applications.

Onsite vs Offsite Document Shredding

Simply throwing documents in the trashcan is not enough, onsite document shredding is necessary to ensure that the documents are disposed of properly. Identity thieves often search through the trashcans at businesses to find personal information that has been discarded.

Taking the documents to an offsite shredding company is an option, but it is much more secure for businesses and individuals to have documents shredded by an AAA rated company that provides onsite document shredding at a convenient time.