Best Way to Safely Destroy Confidential Documents

When it comes to protecting sensitive information, you have to focus on not just creating, storing, and sharing data, but also on safely destroying it. You must have heard about document shredding, but do you know the correct way to go about it?

Before you move towards any process, you must first understand what can be confidential documents for your business. In this article, we will discuss the best and safest way to destroy such documents so that the information important for your business never leaks or is misused by anyone.

What Types of Confidential Documents are Disposed of?

Confidential documents are documentation having information about the client or customer. It includes details about their job, case, health, or financial status. The actual type depends on the nature of your business.

These include:

· Expired debit and credit cards, passports, and identification cards

· Your signature

· Medical or legal reports

· Account numbers like statements and bills

· Bank or other financial institution-related information, like investment reports, account information, deposit slips, etc.

The Best Way to Destroy Sensitive Documents – Shredders

Whether you are a big organization or a small group, it is necessary to have a plan and destroy papers securely.

The best way to destroy confidential documents is shredding. It is an effective, easy, cost-effective, and quick way. Most retailers sell shredders for use in the premises or office, allowing you to shred and destroy documents.

You can recycle the shredded documents while ensuring that the data is easily available to the users when needed.

It is wise to use document shredding services from a trusted company. Professional companies collect the documents and securely shred them for you. If you decide to follow this route, make sure you hire a reputable company that is renowned for securely destroying documents.

These shredders dispose of confidential documents and offer security and convenience. The shredders are of three distinct types:

· Cross-cut

· Department of Defense

· Strip-cut

The cross-cut shredders destroy papers in two directions. But they create more volume of paper and the machine used in this procedure requires frequent maintenance, like oiling.

The other method is a strip-cut shredder that cuts paper in just one direction. Such shredders may last for a longer time. But they are less secure in comparison to their heavy-duty versions.

Finally, we have the DOD-certified models that shred papers into small bits. They are the safest and don’t generate bulk volume. The only cons to them are that they are quite expensive than other shredding options.

Tips to Safely Destroy Confidential Documents

1. Use Environment-Friendly Shredders

The market is full of different kinds of shredders. The best one offers not security but sustainability. A secured shredder destroys the paper into fine, small pieces that occupy less space in the decomposer and landfill.

2. Destroy Sensitive Documents at Regular Intervals

No matter which method you use, it is essential to dispose of sensitive documents at regular intervals. Like, if you get unwanted mail, you must get rid of it the very same day.

Insurance records and medical records are out-of-date. It is best to destroy them as well every month. If these papers are stored in your account, you will be more vulnerable to identity fraud.

3. Hire Reliable Shredding Service Providers

The best way to destroy business documents is by using a shredding service. If you select a shredding service, make sure that you work with a reliable and trustworthy service provider.

Before hiring them, make sure you are using the latest security practices creating less impact on the environment. Most importantly, the company must offer complete fraud protection and dispose of documents promptly. This will reduce the volume of documents in your hand.