If you are a business that still uses paper, your office will consist of various documents that can lead to theft, vandalism or other security problems. Properly disposing of sensitive information and confidential documents is crucial to ensuring the security of your business and its employees.
First let’s see what you should keep vs what you should shred. Things like tax records and receipts should be kept for 7 years. Following this system, you should be disposing of one year, every year. Pay stubs and bank statements should be saved for one year, then disposed of. Items that have personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, SSN and bank info should be disposed of immediately.
There are a couple of different ways to properly dispose of documents, one being a shredder. Different levels of security exist when it comes to shredders such as some using the strip cut method and others the crosscut method. If you are not in possession of a shredding device, most local police stations have a “Shred Event” every year where people can bring what they need shredded. If you prefer something not as public and more secure, hire a contracting service from a shredding company to handle your documents. These kinds of services are bonded and better ensure security.
So, you’ve shredded all your paper, but what do you do with your hardware that may still contain sensitive information? Never throw away things like hard drives, lap tops, USBs etc. These need to be properly disposed of just like your paper documents to avoid possible security threats. Just as companies exist for shredding your documents, the same exists for your hardware and are again, bonded for security.
Have questions regarding how to properly dispose of sensitive documents and services to help? Drop us a line at Solutions@thetek.com
