5 Steps in a Secure Document Destruction Process
February 22, 2018
If it’s the habit around your office to throw documents that are no longer used into the recycling bin and run the bin’s content through the shredder when it gets full, then we need to talk.
First, your best hope that you’re not in contravention of any obligation your company has to protect the privacy of its employees, customers, suppliers and so on. Second, you’ll be lucky if you don’t suffer some sort of critical data loss.
It’s time to start thinking of leaving documents in the recycling bin for shredding in the same way you would think of leaving a workstation on and not password protected when it’s not in use.
The first step in protecting the data on your documents is to develop and institute a document destruction process for your company. Here are some of the steps you’ll need to take to do so.
Create a Destruction Schedule
It’s a mistake to overreact and destroy everything all the time. Different documents must be kept for different amounts of time. Make sure as many people as possible understand what docs have to be kept for what length of time.
Train Your Workforce
Taping a list of instructions above the photocopier just won’t do. Ongoing document destruction training for employees, from the moment they are onboard, is critical to minimize data breaches.
Proper Shredding
The desk-side shredder destroys paper, but it doesn’t destroy data. You need a shredding process or document shredding company who can shred documents to the point where the data on the document is certifiably destroyed.
Secure Transportation
If your documents are destroyed off-site, they must be securely transported from your office to the destruction site.
Recycle
Hey, once the data is gone.The paper is a valuable resource that will help reduce our dependence on harvesting trees.
If you need certified destruction of all your printed corporate documents, call us here at Papersavers.
