What to Look For in a Data Destruction Partner

Data security is critical in building and retaining strong relationships between businesses and customers. However, over half of the small business leaders (SBLs) surveyed in the Shred-it^® 2022 Data Protection Report (DPR) do not have a reliable source to help them improve their physical data security practices. As part of their effort to protect their business from physical data breaches, companies should enlist the support of a trusted data destruction partner.

What to Look For In a Data Destruction Partner

Physical Security Expertise

Shred-it^®, a Stericycle^® solution, has over 30 years of experience helping our customers protect their confidential information. Given that almost half (48%) of SBLs surveyed believe employee error is a source of data breaches, providing recommended employee-facing guidelines and policies is one way that a data destruction partner can add value.

By offering customizable policy templates, Shred-it^® can help you establish procedures that may reduce employee error. For example, Shred-it^® suggests implementing a clean desk policy that requires physical documents to be shredded or placed in a locked space and all technological devices to be password protected each time an employee leaves a workspace. This type of policy is a convenient way to help maintain data security in a hybrid work environment. Similarly, a shred-it-all policy encourages regular destruction of all documents to help ensure that no confidential information is left vulnerable to a physical data breach.

Other policies to consider are record retention, bringing-your-own-device, email and internet-use, and remote work. Clear plans can help prevent unexpected data breaches later and protect the organization, employees, and valued customers.

Service Reliability

Shred-it^® has the largest footprint in North America, allowing it to serve the most business addresses throughout the United States and Canada. With the largest shredding fleet, we have the resources to help ensure fewer service disruptions and the ability to assist companies who have an unexpected increase in document destruction needs.

A Variety of Service Options

Shred-it^® offers a wide range of reliable data destruction services that are designed to best meet your needs.

• One-Time Shredding: Shred-it^® will perform a one-time collection of your documents.
• Regularly-Scheduled Shredding: Secured containers are provided in addition to regularly scheduled pickups.
• Drop-Off Shredding: Drop off your documents at your local Shred-it^® office.
• Free Shredding Events: Bring a box of papers to your community shred event.
• Mobile Shredding Services: Shred-it^® performs the shredding of your documents on-site.
• Residential Shredding: In addition to office-based pickups, Shred-it^® can also collect documents from residences.
• Specialty Destruction Services: Shred-it^® can securely destroy non-paper items such as price books, media, medical records, exams, expired IDs, old uniforms, and more.
• Hard Drive Destruction Service: Data can be recovered from devices, even if it has been manually deleted. Shred-it^® offers state-of-the-art technology to permanently delete hard drive data by physically destroying the device.

NAID Certified Document Destruction Processes

Shred-it^® secure information destruction services are NAID AAA-certified.

The following checklist can help you decide if you have found a trusted partner in information destruction:

• Has an excellent reputation for reliable service
• Employs personnel that have undergone rigorous training and a background check
• Offers a FREE physical data security risk assessment
• Provides secure, locked containers for storage of documents prior to collection
• Gives you the option of on-site shredding so that you can watch the document destruction
• Uses cross-cut shredders and  can accommodate other media
• 100% of Document Destruction Services customers receive recycling services
• Is NAID-AAA certified

Learn more about Shred-it^® and why we are a leading provider of physical data destruction services.