The Importance of Shredding Services for Businesses in 2024

data protection for startups

Paper shredding should be a no-brainer for keeping business information, client records, and employee files safe.

It’s not just about stopping your workplace from being buried in paper but also making sure any data you’re handling stays protected.

There are plenty of reasons why not doing this could harm your business, from being fined for non-compliance to damaging your hard-earned reputation due to slip-ups like identity theft, data breaches, or losing sensitive information.

So, protecting your data privacy should be your top priority when looking for a solid, confidential shredding service.

However, securely destroying sensitive documents isn’t the only benefit of working with professionals for your shredding needs in 2024.

Besides reducing liability and increasing productivity, outsourcing your document shredding also protects your business’s reputation, helps the environment, and saves you costs compared to doing it yourself.

Here are a few reasons why you should work with a professional service for your document shredding needs in 2024:

Protecting Your Customers’s Sensitive Data

Relying on your office shredder is better than throwing sensitive documents in the bin. But feeding paper through your shredder still chews up a lot of time. Shredding a single file can take minutes because you have to:

  • pull out paper clips and staples
  • document management, which includes straightening out the sheets, tidying up the papers, etc.
  • bin the shredded paper
  • oil the shredder blades

When you’re shredding in-house, you’re basically paying your staff to babysit the shredder instead of getting on with work that makes you money.

A decent office shredder can process about 450 pages an hour, but an industrial off-site shredder can process 2 million pages an hour.

This is a massive win for outsourcing your document shredding needs in 2024. Think how long it’d take someone in your office to shred 2 million pages.

It’d take 4,444.44 work hours—no breaks, cool-downs, or maintenance—working five days a week, every week without holidays; that’s about two years and a month.

A professional shredding service lets your staff go on with their work. They stick collection bins around your office so you can discard unwanted sensitive documents quickly and securely.

Then, they handle the whole destruction process, freeing up your team to be more productive.

It’s Cost Effective

It might seem like you’re saving costs by keeping an internal setup for your sensitive document shredding needs in 2024, but it’s quite a money drain in the long run. Here’s what you’re looking at in terms of costs:

  • buying shredders
  • getting disposal bags
  • doing maintenance
  • document management
  • replacing busted gear
  • paying for electricity
  • work hours spent on shredding

Outsourcing your shredding is a money-saver for your business. Locked collection bins, swap out your power-hungry shredders.

Then, a regular shredding service like Pulp comes by on a schedule to empty them, making sure your sensitive documents stay secure.

Stay Compliant With Privacy Laws in 2024

Did you know that there are privacy laws in Ireland that govern how to handle private and confidential information?

In Ireland, we must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which provides strict guidelines for keeping personal information safe.

Article 5, Principle (e), basically says personal data should only be kept as long as needed for its purpose. It can be stored longer for public interest archives, scientific research, or statistics, but you have to use the right technology and organisational measures to protect people’s rights.

Most employees do not know much about GDPR or how to follow its standards. They may make mistakes and accidentally leak private information or simply toss it in the recycling bin instead of the shredder.

This can cause potential legal problems. Working with a professional, experienced service company for your shredding needs in 2024 can keep you in the clear, making sure private information stays private and avoiding any legal issues.

Promoting Recycling

Recycling paper is good for the planet. But after shredding with an office machine, it’s risky to leave the shreds for recycling. Thieves can swipe bags of shreds, hoping to seize confidential information.

A professional shredding service handles shredding and recycling securely. It all happens in a secure building with tight security measures and technology. They keep tight control over your sensitive documents, from collection to destruction, baling, and recycling.

Outsourcing your shredding needs means your confidential information stays safe.

Protecting Your Reputation

Your business reputation is worth a lot—you’ve worked hard to earn it. Messing up document destruction can lead to trust issues with clients, staff, and even your whole community.

Privacy slip-ups can hit the news really fast. Professional shredding keeps your reputation intact by guaranteeing secure document destruction.

Trained professionals in uniforms handle your information with strict procedures, recording the process. They use locked, GPS-tracked vehicles to move your documents to a secure shredding place.

Mitigates Internal Threats

Data breaches and identity theft aren’t just from outside threats. Businesses have to watch out for internal risks, too, like employees with bad intentions. They might have access to sensitive documents, and mishandling them could cause major breaches.

Using a shredding service reduces internal risks by keeping fewer physical documents around (as the sensitive documents that are meant to be shredded are locked in a secure bin).

Clear shredding policies and secure disposal options show employees what’s expected and what happens if they mishandle sensitive information.

Scalability & Flexibility

Professional shredding services can scale their operations to match your needs. Whether you have a few documents or a mountain of documents to shred, they can scale up or down as needed.

This means they handle destruction efficiently without bogging down your own resources.

Also, a flexible and professional shredding service like Pulp can provide a one-off shredding service or a regular one, where they’d show up at your workplace at a periodic scheduled time and take care of your sensitive documents.

Secure Your Business’s Sensitive Information with Pulp

Protecting your business, employees, and customers is essential, especially in 2024 when identity theft and data breaches are on the rise.

Working with a professional service like Pulp reduces the odds of people with malicious intent getting personal information, financial records, trade secrets, and more.

Plus, we’ll keep you compliant with laws and regulations demanding information protection and proper destruction.

Don’t just toss sensitive documents out and cross your fingers when you can work with us to shred them securely.

Reach out to Pulp today for the document shredding your business needs. Get peace of mind knowing you’re protecting sensitive information from identity theft and data breaches, securing your future.

Share this post

Other posts you might like!

Ready to shred? Chop chop, let’s go!

Our team will be happy to help you find the ideal shredding solution for your company.