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Document Destruction: What you need to know
Responsible document shredding is the key to ensuring the success of your business. Not only does it ensure that you are able to get rid of unwanted or outdated documents en masse, it also prevents identity theft and the leakage of confidential and sensitive information. When it comes to document management solutions, destruction is an important element in the lifecycle of your company’s information that has been gathered and harvested over a period of time.
If your company deals with confidential information, for both employees and clients, it is important to revise your document shredding options. Most financial establishments and health care institutions are required to retain documentation for a specific period of time, even if the client is no longer part of the respective organization. After this period of time, companies are required by law to properly and responsibly destruct and dispose of documentation. However, what would happen if this process was overlooked or ignored? Identity theft and the leakage of confidential information can be detrimental to a business and to the affected individual, and can result in a legal battle resulting is severe loss for the company. To prevent such an incident and to ensure that you keep information secure, here is what you need to know about document destruction:
The Importance of Document Destruction
Have you harvested your client’s ID numbers, home address or banking details? Perhaps you have their health information or status and access to sensitive medical records – if you fall under this category of South African service provides it is important to note that you will be legally required to dispose of confidential information in a responsible and an effective way. Simply throwing the items away in the trash is not sufficient. If you are searching for document destruction services, it is best to search for a provider that is both reliable and effective.
How is Document Destruction Done?
Document destruction takes place offsite, usually on the premises of your chosen service provider. These documents are never transported to another location but remain in the secure and guarded grounds of the destruction company. Documents, as a whole, are shredded in three different directions – cross tab, strip cut and professional firm, and you don’t need to remove any folders, paperclips or staples before the process begins. The following items can be recycled:
- All paper,
- Files / File inserts,
- Cardboard,
- CD’s / DVD’s,
- Credit cards / ID cards, and
- Computer equipment / hard drives.
Once the material has been destroyed, you are issued with a destruction certificate to guarantee that your confidential information has been effectively destroyed and cannot be used for theft or untoward purposes. The shredded items are then sent off for recycling.
Whether you’d like to destroy items that have been sitting in your storage cupboards for years or would like to destroy memos or draft documents, be sure to contact the Document Warehouse for a comprehensive quote on various document management solutions.
