Why All Shredding Providers Are Not the Same

What are your priorities when selecting a shredding service provider for your documents and/or data destruction? Do you have some deal-breaker requirements? You may have some preferences that affect your choices, but there are also some mandatory items to consider. Here are some issues that make some shredding providers a better choice over others.

Security

If your current shredding provider doesn’t make information security a priority, your information is at risk. Here are some operating procedures that may jeopardize your information security:

• Does the company outsource their shredding to keep up with the demands of other services they offer? Doing this could put further distance between you and your documents’ final destruction destination and add more points of vulnerability, compromising security.
• Does the company provide multiple other services that may require them to juggle their resources and have less time to make sure your information is secure?
• Does the company ensure a strong chain of custody, with full knowledge of where your documents are and have been?
• Does the company supply a Certificate of Destruction upon completion of the shredding?
• Does the company enforce strong security checks for all hired staff? Are those security checks done on a regular basis beyond just the point of hiring?
• Does the company have rigorous training so that staff are experts in the shredding industry, and is the training ongoing? You can have advanced technology, but it is only as reliable as the staff who operates it.

Legalities

Does the company know the federal, state, and local laws pertaining to document shredding, And are they compliant with them? Are they familiar with your industry and your organization’s specific document destruction needs?

Destruction on Your Schedule

Does the company offer shredding at your convenience? Do they offer one-time shredding, scheduled services, and shredding events? Documents should be destroyed as soon as possible, and trying to operate around your shredding provider’s schedule could leave your sensitive documents sitting around, vulnerable to a data breach, rather than being destroyed in a timely manner.

Reputation

You might be concerned about your company’s hard-earned reputation, but is the shredding provider just as concerned? Or are they more concerned about their own bottom line? Any kind of information breach could ruin your reputation with your customers and the public and put you at risk of legal action and crippling fines. Losing customers and risking bankruptcy because your shredding company is careless is an all-to-real risk.

Recycling

Does the shredding company partner with an authorized recycling company that recycles shredded paper and materials from shredded hard drives and digital media according to state and federal environmental standards?

Taking the time to evaluate the differences between shredding providers before making a choice or switch will save you financially and legally, and give you peace of mind.

Wiggins Shredding is a secure and compliant shredding company that offers document shredding and media destruction at your convenience in the Pennsylvania and the Tri-State Area of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. Call us at 610-692-TEAR(8327) or complete the form on this page and let us know how we can help with your shredding needs.