The Dos and Don’ts of Document Shredding

Whether you’re a part of a large organization or running your own small business, confidentiality in terms of internal communication, financial projections, strategies, client/customer information, etc. are all assets you’d want to keep safe. Considering some people risk legal action to access this information, protecting against data breaches is vital. Besides data stored on digital devices or the cloud, anything on paper is also risky to keep around.

Paper shredding is one of the best ways to destroy confidential information and avoid others from getting their hands on your private documents. Moreover, document shredding also protects you from any data breaches.

However, shredding your documents is not as simple as tearing them with your hands and dumping the shreds in the trash. This is why we’ve compiled some dos and don’ts of document shredding. Let’s break them down.

Dos of Paper Shredding

Try Shredding Paper Only

While people might think it is straightforward to just shred every document using an office shredder, they might waste a lot of time removing paper clips and staples and shredding one document at a time.

You must check your documents before you put them in the shredder or send them to a shredding service. Check each file to ensure no plastic or thick cardboard is present. Though tiny plastic particles and small metals are fine, you must focus on removing them so that you can recycle the shreds later.

Choose an Authentic Document Destruction Company

If you use paper to look at important information, is critical to partner with an authentic document shredding service as it professionally collects your documents and shreds them properly using a commercial shredder. These services also provide a certificate of destruction. With this certificate acts as a surety that your sensitive data will remain completely secure and protected.

Shred Sensitive Information

Paper shredding helps you avoid business fraud and data theft. Try to shred your confidential documents as soon as possible. If you find it hard to do, try contacting a paper shredding company to destroy sensitive information securely.

Don’ts of Paper Shredding

Don’t Keep Confidential Documents Around too Long

The main goal of paper shredding is to prevent sensitive or private information from getting into the wrong hands. You need to avoid keeping documents around for long periods to prevent any data breaches.  

Set a time each week to go through the documents that need to be destroyed, or delegate this duty to one of your employees. Once you’ve identified unwanted documents, shred them immediately.

Don’t Trust All Paper Shredding Services

Not every shredding service provider is trustworthy. Every service provider offers different security, customer service, knowledge, experience, and dependability.

While there are multiple paper shredding companies, not all are equal. To make sure you choose the right company, you need to ensure they’re reliable by looking at previous reviews and whether they are certified to conduct their business.

Check Documents before Shredding

Before you send documents for shredding, check them thoroughly. You definitely don’t want to shred a document that contains important, useful information you might need in the near future. You must always know which documents to get rid of and when to get rid of them. However, that doesn’t mean you need to hold unnecessary documents that may lead to data breaches.

Be Careful!

With that, we conclude our discussion on the dos and don’ts of document shredding. While destroying confidential and unwanted information is necessary, you need to consider a few factors before sending your documents to be shredded.  We hope this blog has helped you understand more about the dos and don’ts of paper shredding.

In case you’re looking for an authentic shredding service, reach New Jersey Shredding for reliable and efficient documents shredding services!