Thursday 20 September 2012

How to Stem the Leak of Confidential Documents


Every business has documents that, if it they found their way into the wrong hands, could prove highly dangerous. Are you doing enough to protect such sensitive information? And are your waste disposal and paper shredding procedures secure?

North West based ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com) are experts in confidential shredding and waste disposal, servicing business across Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington and beyond. They’ve highlighted five commonly-asked questions regarding shredding services – and why your business can’t afford to be without one...
 

Identity fraud is a very serious problem – indeed, it’s believe that over 100,000 people in the UK are affected by it each year. We hear a lot about details being gained fraudulently by computer hacking, but often such information is accessed from hard copies of confidential documents. This can be avoided by hiring a trusted waste disposal service to destroy the information safely and securely.

What Sort of Documents Should I Shred?

This really depends on the sort of business you run. Confidential documents that should be shredded securely include correspondence you’ve had with customers and suppliers (especially if banking details are included), invoices, accounting information, business plans – anything with sensitive data that could potentially be used for fraudulent purposes or to damage your business.

Why Trust A Shredding Service – Isn’t It Safer To Do My Own Document Shredding?

Of course, you want to make sure whoever’s looking after the disposal of confidential materials is to be trusted. Make sure the company you choose performs vigorous background checks on their employees, and don’t let anyone into your building without proper identification. As for shredding your own documents, using a shredding service will save you money – it can be up to five times cheaper than running your own shredders.

Should I Shred On-site or Off-site?
 
It’s always better to have your documents shredded on your own premises, as it’s much more secure. The further away from your offices your documents are taken, the more chance they have to go missing or be intercepted. You could even ask to watch the shredding take place, especially if you’re dealing with highly sensitive information.

What Happens To My Documents Once They’ve Been Shredded?

This depends on the shredding service you choose. A good service will recycle your documents for you, and should be able to provide evidence of the energy they’ve saved you. With more and more companies focusing on green policies as part of their commitments to CSR, anything you can do to help the environment should be welcomed.

About ecoshred

Businesses across the North West, including Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Wigan and St Helens, are taking advantage of ecoshred’s trusted on-site document shredding services.
 
Ecoshred are experienced in destroying and securely disposing of confidential documents and data. And for your peace of mind, all of Ecoshred’s personnel are fully certified, with thorough background checks and drug screenings.

And if you’re concerned about the environmental impact your business is making, ecoshred will even provide you with an Environmental Certificate, showing how using their services has improved your green credentials.

 Make sure confidential information stays that way. Find out more about ecoshred’s paper shredding and waste disposal services at www.ecoshreduk.com or call freephone 0800 612 9595.