November 10, 2020

A Residential Drop Off Shredding Service Is Easy and Secure

According to Shred-it’s 2020 Data Protection Report, prior to the pandemic 77% of C-suite executives and 53% of small business owners reported that employees regularly or periodically work off-site, and only 41% of organizations have a policy for remote working that is strictly adhered to. With the shift to remote work, it is even more critical to ensure your work documents remain secure. Work files that were once safely stored in a dedicated office space are now being printed and distributed across households, often with little to no thought of how the documents will be properly disposed of once they are no longer needed. Even for those that are aware of the importance of shredding confidential documents, it can be difficult to justify the costliness and maintenance of do-it-yourself shredding.

Advantages of Drop Off Shredding Services

In today’s business climate, a secure drop off service can be beneficial to remote workers to help them securely dispose of paper and physical documents, as well as electronic media and old hard drives. A drop off service is a convenient and secure way to confidently dispose of a few boxes or bins of sensitive information at a local Shred-it branch near you, so you don’t have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands.

This year, companies have had to make drastic shifts to the way they do business, leaving many remote employees unprepared or ill-equipped to handle the volume of work documentation that can pile up quickly. Drop off shredding is an easy, secure and cost-effective solution for individuals to reduce clutter while maintaining peace of mind that company files are being safely destroyed.

What Work Documents Should Be Shredded?

Confidential paper documents continue to play a big role in day-to-day business and, if not managed properly, could lead to major consequences to an organization. Some examples include:

• Supplier and customer information. Vendor records, contracts, and purchase orders should all be stored in a secure location until they are no longer needed, at which point they can be taken to a secure drop off location to avoid the risk of a potential breach.
• Printed presentations or reports. Presentations and reports often contain data and information on an organization’s performance or future goals and strategies. This information can be harmful to a business if released publicly.
• Copies or duplicates of files. How many times have you misplaced an important document only to reprint it for the sake of time? You never know what sort of work documents may be casually laying around your home office, so it’s worth combing through your files to identify any that could be a risk to information security.

What Personal Documents Should Be Shredded?

Outside of work files, there are a multitude of documents in the home that can put your personal information at risk if not handled sensitively. Some examples include:

• Bank and financial records. While you may have a secure filing spot in your home, once they are no longer needed, they are typically thrown into the garbage, increasing the risk of sensitive information being stolen.
• Bills and receipts. Often collected and stuffed into a coat pocket without a second thought, these can contain important information like bank card numbers and account information.
• Post-it notes and general clutter. Passwords, phone numbers, usernames and more are often carelessly jotted down on scraps of paper and not given a second thought. Ensure these are all collected and destroyed to avoid someone with nefarious intentions logging into your accounts and stealing sensitive information.
• Electronics and old hard drives. A drop off shredding service isn’t just limited to paper. Electronics and old hard drives often contain a significant amount of sensitive information in one spot, so it’s best to ensure these items are properly destroyed as well.

Prevent a Data Breach with a Secure Residential Drop Off Shredding Service

While employees are working away from the office, it is important that there are policies and procedures in place to mitigate some of the potential risks of remote working. By opting for a residential drop off service, you can rest assured your data will remain safe and secure. You now have the option to prepay, for added convenience. Find a location near you.