In the digital age that we live in, many people think that the process of shredding physical documents is no more, or that it is only applicable to the largest companies with enough employees and documents to make it worthwhile. Here, we look at a few of the common myths about shredding and why a professional, confidential and regular shredding service is still vital in the modern age.
Myth 1: Shredding is Only for Large Corporations
Shredding is for every company, from the smallest start-up company with one person running the show, right up to the largest multinational corporations. Whatever industry a company works within there is sensitive and personal information that is collected about employees, customers, and suppliers. This needs to be disposed of at the correct time, securely and effectively, whether a one off shredding service or a regular approach. Both paper and digital copies of information and personal data must be collected, processed, stored, and destroyed in a practical manner that fits with regulations.
Myth 2: Digital Data Doesn’t Require Shredding
We live in a digital age, so surely there isn’t a need for shredding documents anymore? This is a dangerous myth about shredding, as although there is a lot of digital information where there were once only physical documents, every industry still stores and processes plenty of physical documentation and keeps information on paper. Aside from that, digital storage management can also be achieved alongside paper shredding services. This ensures that information that should be permanently deleted, is removed, and also that old physical digital media and hard drives are disposed of in a safe and secure manner.
Myth 3: Shredding is an Unnecessary Expense
One of the most damaging myths of shredding documents is that it isn’t necessary for every business, or that it doesn’t need to be performed regularly. Regular shredding is a vital part of every business, ensuring that there is full compliance with industry and data privacy regulations. It is certainly not an unnecessary expense, as without it, physical papers and boxes can build up, creating dead space that costs your business money, and GDPR fines could cause great financial difficulties for any business.
Myth 4: In-House Shredders are Enough
Many people assume that an in-house shredder will do the job. A manual, in-house shredder will do a decent approximation of a job, but it is time consuming for employees to prepare your documents correctly for shredding. It only takes one mistake or a day where a person cannot be bothered to perform the shredding task, and your business could be at risk of running afoul of GDPR. Professional shredding services take the strain away, giving peace of mind that extensive shredding processes are completed on a regular basis.
Myth 5: Shredding is Only About Compliance
Shredding is about so much more than compliance alone. One of the other benefits of shredding is that it prioritises sustainability, especially if you utilise the services of a professional shredding service that recycles your destroyed documents. Environmentally-friendly shredding solutions are used by many companies. Alongside this, the functional benefits for a workplace to shred documents can be seen in how space can be freed up to be used in a much more cost-effective way, where boxes of documents and digital media once sat untouched.
Conclusion
Confidential shredding is an important service that helps businesses within myriad industries stay on top of compliance, reduce the carbon footprint of a company, and makes a workplace function more effectively. Professional shredding services provide businesses with peace of mind and take away the stress and time pressures of in-house shredding.
