Many businesses are still regularly using paper for their documents. Recent research shows that an estimated 95 percent of information regarding a business is still stored on paper. Document shredding companies know the importance of keeping business and personal information safe. Unfortunately, there are people out there who will try to obtain information on thrown away documents. Here are three dangerous situations that shredding documents can help prevent.
- Identity Theft: Losing your identity is one of the worst things that a person can go through. The helplessness that comes with someone else paying for things with your hard earned money is a scary thought. There are endless documents that a criminal could get information from. These thieves have been known to target both personal information as well as documents of entire businesses.
Documents that should be shredded, when thrown out, include bank statements, bills, login information. The rule of thumb is that if it has any personal information, you should probably shred it when it comes time to dispose of said document. Paper shredding services can easily ensure your documents are disposed of where no one could obtain information from these papers. Identity theft is one of the most common cyber crimes that can occur. However, ensuring that personal documents are shredded will help to keep these thieves at bay.
- Building Fires: When a business does not shred documents, they might not have a viable solution for getting rid of documents. In certain situations, a business may think they have no choice but to get a massive amount of paper stored within their building. Many businesses have to store paper someplace in the office.
However, businesses that have large amounts of paper stored away could be at greater risk of a building fire. Paper can be an extremely combustible material. If a small fire were to start in an office filled with rooms of paper, the resulting fire could spread out of control quickly.
- Loss of Important Business Information: Research by the FBI estimates that theft of information costs businesses in the United States about $24 billion each year. One of the most important ways to keep highly confidential business information secret is through the use of document shredding services.
One place where keeping information confidential is very important is in the medical field. It is required by law that provider of healthcare ensure that specified documents are shredded. There have actually been both state and federal laws created to ensure medical companies have plans specifically for destruction of data.
In closing, there are many reasons to start shredding important documents. Losing one?s identity to theft is a very scary experience. Document shredding companies can ensure all important information is properly shredded. One situation that can make a building fire spread quickly is if the paper is in the path of the fire. Buildings with rooms filled with paper could risk office fires raging quickly. Loss of information can be devastating for a company to deal with. Document shredding companies can make sure your business never has a document get into the wrong hands.
