Document Shredding
Document shredding is a process used to destroy paper documents by cutting the paper into very small pieces. There are two main reasons why document shredding is important: to prevent identity theft and safely dispose of confidential information. A document shredder ranges in size from a small garbage can to a large disposal bin. Identify theft is a multibillion dollar industry that is used to fund organized crime. Specialized equipment, infrastructure and skills are necessary to create fake identification. One or two pieces of personal information from your garbage are all that is required to steal your identity.
Banks, hospitals and financial companies are all well-known sources of confidential information that must be shredded to preserve client confidentiality. However, the responsibility for managing the disposal of confidential documents is a high priority in all industries. Shareholders, investors and internal staff are all motivated to obtain access to confidential information. A systematic document shredding process has become a standard part of file management programs in many large corporations.
Any firm that provides a service where there is an expectation of privacy is legally required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that privacy is protected. When confidential information needs to be disposed of, the most secure method is the complete destruction of the document. Document shredding allows firms to quickly and efficiently destroy documents. Once documents have been shredded, they can be recycled with no risk to the company.
There are three methods of document shredding available: cross tab, strip cut and professional firm. All methods provide an equal level of assurance that the documents have been destroyed. Document shredding is a simple and effective way to completely dispose of all personal, private and confidential information.
Both the cross tab and strip cut shredders can be purchased as stand-alone machines for personal use. Professional shedding firms provide large bins, where the documents for shredding are placed. As part of the service, a large shredding truck comes once a week to dispose of the documents using the shredder built into the truck. This option is the preferred solution for firms who have a large volume of confidential documents for shredding on a recurring basis.
Document shredding is becoming increasingly important as information has become a highly valued commodity. The machines required to shred documents are inexpensive and widely available. If you decide to purchase a document shredder for personal use, check the warranty details with care. The blades can become loose over time and may need to be replaced.
The Importance of Document Shredding
The world currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, that is, they draw on finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. In contrast, the many types of renewable energy resources-such as wind and solar energy-are constantly replenished and will never run out.
Most renewable energy comes either directly or indirectly from the sun. Sunlight, or solar energy, can be used directly for heating and lighting homes and other buildings, for generating electricity, and for hot water heating, solar cooling, and a variety of commercial and industrial uses.
The sun’s heat also drives the winds, whose energy, is captured with wind turbines. Then, the winds and the sun’s heat cause water to evaporate. When this water vapor turns into rain or snow and flows downhill into rivers or streams, its energy can be captured using hydroelectric power.
Along with the rain and snow, sunlight causes plants to grow. The organic matter that makes up those plants is known as biomass. Biomass can be used to produce electricity, transportation fuels, or chemicals. The use of biomass for any of these purposes is called bioenergy.
Hydrogen also can be found in many organic compounds, as well as water. It’s the most abundant element on the Earth. But it doesn’t occur naturally as a gas. It’s always combined with other elements, such as with oxygen to make water. Once separated from another element, hydrogen can be burned as a fuel or converted into electricity.
Not all renewable energy resources come from the sun. Geothermal energy taps the Earth’s internal heat for a variety of uses, including electric power production, and the heating and cooling of buildings. And the energy of the ocean’s tides come from the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun upon the Earth.
In fact, ocean energy comes from a number of sources. In addition to tidal energy, there’s the energy of the ocean’s waves, which are driven by both the tides and the winds. The sun also warms the surface of the ocean more than the ocean depths, creating a temperature difference that can be used as an energy source. All these forms of ocean energy can be used to produce electricity.
The whole purpose of shredding documents rather than just tearing them up and throwing them in the trash is to curtail the attempts of white collar criminals who use them to steal people’s identities to access their resources such as bank accounts and credit or debit cards balances. It is therefore of critical importance that documents are completely destroyed in such a way that they cannot be retrieved and read.
It also eliminates the hassle of a company having to invest in shredders which are quite costly. Related costs like training staff to operate them and maintenance costs would also be incurred. The charges for bi-monthly, monthly or quarterly shredding are quite fair and affordable. It does not make financial sense to invest so much in such machinery that would not be used to generate returns.
This solves the problem of how large volumes of shredded paper will be discarded. We have incorporated a recycling service whereby we also recycle the shredded paper. A business does not therefore have to incur additional costs of disposing the waste paper.
Sometimes, though there are documents that are very sensitive that need to be transported, say to and from police precincts and Government investigation offices. We undertake to destroy such documents in the field so that they cannot be intercepted in transit ensuring that there are no chances of them falling into the wrong hands which could have dire consequences.
It is a legal requirement that businesses implement methods for detecting and averting identity theft attempts and that they protect client and employee information. Paper shredding is one of the best ways to do this. A shredding service provider should be professional, reliable and competitively priced and satisfy the needs of customers.