Effective Strategies for Selecting a Shredding Service Provider

When customers provide sensitive information to companies, they expect robust safeguards to be in place, ensuring their data remains secure and confidential. Yet, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, data breaches rose in the U.S. in 2023, with more than 3,000 total incidents impacting more than 350 million victims. For organizations, the average cost of a breach globally was 4.45 million USD.

This is no small number, especially for small businesses. In addition to the expense of the breach, businesses can face regulatory action and the loss of valuable customers, jeopardizing the entire operation. To help mitigate the risk of a breach, businesses should take a proactive approach to information security, implementing strategies to protect both digital data and physical documents.

Shred-it’s^® 2023 Data Protection Report (DPR) highlights the importance of data and information protection for small business leaders (SBLs) and reveals crucial insights on information security concerns and challenges. The report found that a quarter of the SBLs surveyed said that they experienced a data breach in the past and, of those, 50% said it was caused by employee error. Close to half (45%) of consumers noted that they have experienced at least one data breach. Furthermore, 3 in 4 of the SBLs and almost all (94%) of the individual consumers surveyed said they are concerned about future data breaches. 

Data security is critical in building and retaining strong relationships between businesses and customers.

SBLs should prioritize their data security efforts to help avoid a potential data breach, including developing a partnership with a trusted data destruction partner that securely shreds all confidential documents once they are no longer required, according to the company’s document retention policy.

Why Businesses Should Use a Shredding Service

Do-it-yourself, or DIY, shredding is often less secure since it relies on standard office shredders that may not fully destroy disposed of material. They cut paper into vertical or horizontal strips, which can be easily retrieved, reassembled, and used for identity theft or other nefarious purposes.

DIY shredding is also time-consuming. Before putting paper into a standard office shredder, staff must spend time removing staples and paper clips and arranging documents into manageable piles. Paper jams happen frequently, which can further slow the process. Another downside is that personal shredders typically don’t accept large batches of paper, meaning someone must spend time separating out the right number of pages, feed them into the machine, and then wait for it to clear before moving on to the next batch. This tedious and inefficient process wastes time for employees and businesses.

In addition, there are worker safety concerns with the standard hand-fed machines. Staff can get fingers and hands caught in the blades, resulting in serious injuries.

Professional shredding services offer a safe, convenient, and secure way to destroy confidential documents. They use industrial-grade shredders that turn paper into confetti-sized pieces that cannot be reconstructed by would-be identity thieves. Top shredding companies are certified and provide a proof of service, ensuring that any discarded materials are fully destroyed following industry best practices.

What to Look for in a Data Destruction Partner

Small business leaders should be careful about the service they decide to work with. From regulatory certifications to a thorough range of service offerings, here are some important factors to consider when choosing a professional shredding service:

• NAID Certified: The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) sets requirements that should be met or exceeded by shredding services. These requirements ensure a secure chain of destruction from pickup through disposal and offer proof of service.
• Physical Security Expertise: Shred-it^®, a Stericycle^® solution, has over 30 years of experience helping our customers protect their confidential information. Shred-it^® helps businesses establish procedures that can reduce employee error through customizable policy templates. These templates suggest implementing a clean-desk or shred-it-all policy to encourage safe habits for dealing with physical documents.
• Diligent Screening Process: A service that thoroughly screens drivers and technicians to ensure a robust system for securing and monitoring facilities is crucial. This establishes trust that sensitive information will be safeguarded and completely destroyed.
• Variety of Service Options: Businesses need a partner that provides different options to best meet their diverse needs. From regularly scheduled shredding to hard drive destruction services, Shred-it^® is a one-stop-shop for complete physical data destruction.
• Service of Reliability: Partner dependability is critical. Shred-it^® has the largest footprint in North America, allowing it to serve the most business addresses across the United States and Canada. It has the resources to ensure fewer service disruptions and the ability to assist companies that have an unexpected increase in document destruction needs.
• Sustainability: Paper shredding can be an environmentally friendly method for destroying sensitive information. Globally in 2023, Shred-it^® shredded and recycled 906 million pounds of paper. contributing to a circular economy for paper resources. Shred-it^® recycles all paper documents it shreds, helping businesses preserve natural resources.

Download our info sheet for a more detailed checklist of what to look for in a secure document destruction partner.  

^{*This article is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances.}