For many people in America, these seem like scary times. In fact, 50% of the people in this country are angered by the political news that they see every time that they turn on the television or log onto their social media site. Some people live in a time of distrust and fear. They fear everything from the new cabinet appointments being made to the news that our world is a dangerous place and that we need to fear those who are trying to come to our country illegally.
In times when it seems like the country as we know it is shifting, many people look for the small things that they can do to keep themselves safe. For many people, few things are more important than the secure and safe handling of old financial records and other documents. In fact, identity theft is a fear that worries many Americans. From the loss of identity from private individual papers at home to the news that entire large corporations and agencies are the victims of large scale identity theft, many Americans scour their monthly financial statements for any sign that something has gone wrong, some crack has been exposed that has let someone into their private and financial affairs. In times like these it should come as no surprise that onsite document shredding is growing in popularity.
Although individuals may be able to handle their own document shredding, large corporations, as well as medical offices and other agencies, continue to work to have the best plans in place for the safe and secure disposal of financial records. And while many companies are our contracting for onsite document shredding, others are also in search of secure document storage. The days of thinking that anything, from papers to computer files, can be carelessly thrown in the trash are long gone. We live in a time when both our personal information and the information of our clients and customers needs to be protected. One way large corporations can do this is to have onsite document shredding services make monthly, or less frequent, visits.
What Are You Doing to Protect the Privacy of Your Customers’ Information?
It can be complicated, but a big part of many businesses today is understanding not only how to protect the privacy of clients, but to also understand the need for the services of document storage companies and when and what documents can be destroyed. Different industries and agencies have different regulations, but the goal of all of these is to make sure that what information you have is secure and that any destruction that does take place allows all files, but digital and paper, to remain private.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the importance of privacy and the need for secure onsite document shredding and other services:
- 95% of all business information is still stored on paper, even in this age of digital data and storage.
- Online exchanges represent less than 10% of all identity theft cases, the remainder is the result of paper theft.
- $24 Billion a year is the FBI’s most estimates of how much information theft costs American businesses.
- Doctors and health insurance providers are legally required to follow specific document shredding duties. State and federal laws, for instance, dictate that all medical organizations have comprehensive data destruction plans, because their patients’ and clients’ information is so sensitive.
Your office staff and other employees are likely already very busy with the specific tasks of their job descriptions, and it simply is not safe or sufficient for a rotating set of employees to complete the important task of shredding papers. For this reason, it is important to have a detailed and comprehensive data destruction plan. Contracting with an onsite document shredding service allows you to be both efficient and effective in these tasks. Your documents never have to leave your property and you do not have to spend money on the expensive shredding equipment. Instead, these secure services come to you at designated times and complete the important, but time consuming task of document destruction. These companies, with bonded employees, foot the bill for the latest and fastest equipment and charge you a predetermined fee for their services.
