Businesses that routinely destroy company records and other sensitive materials are subject to legal protection against penalties for unauthorized disclosures.

Erasing data from computer media and disposing of paper documents securely protects your company and allows it to defend itself from lawsuits that could result from a careless disposal of data.

Because most companies need to quickly and safely dispose of confidential records, professionals willing to destroy company data and other items are always in demand.

People who create or use computer systems and electronic documents must develop a plan for destroying old data in a way that complies with federal law. These records must then be destroyed within five years of being created, stored or last used.

Any business that maintains electronic documents, paper documents and other sensitive materials must ensure that those items are disposed of properly in compliance with these laws. The only legal method of disposal is to have the records privately destroyed by an approved company.

The FTC mandates certain ways of disposal so that people will not be at risk for identity theft if the company’s information is improperly disposed of. As part of this mandate, businesses are required to establish records, policies and procedures for securely disposing of sensitive materials.

When your business securely destroys confidential documents and data, it does more than follow the law; it reduces the risk that someone will steal your valuable trade secrets or customer information which could lead to class-action lawsuits or legal prosecution.

To destroy business records and other sensitive materials, you can choose between on-site and off-site solutions.

On-site document destruction is the most common disposal method. This service is easy to access and less costly than off-site methods, however it may not be right for every business. Off-site options can provide added protection and flexibility but come at a higher cost to business owners.

By far, the most popular document disposal method for small businesses is on-site services. When deciding on a service provider, it’s important to take into account what the company offers in terms of coverage area, equipment, convenience of service and pricing structure. The company must also be able to handle your needs in a time frame suitable for your business operations.

One way that companies protect against identity theft is by hiring an on-site shredding service which will shred company documents immediately after they are generated. On-Site shredding services can also help identify unnecessary personal information that could be stored in accounting systems which may increase the risk of corporate espionage or identity theft if stolen or improperly disposed of by an employee or third party contractor.

Off-site document destruction is the most popular method for disposing of sensitive documents. This method is less expensive than on-site services and may be appropriate for businesses with a limited budget since on-site and off-site services often cost more than the same level of service rendered from home or a more remote location. Off-site document destruction companies will also generally accept debit or credit cards for payment while on-site options are typically cash only.

Off Site Destruction Company should be able to offer an on site shredding service as well as the ability to have documents shredded remotely, shredding is much easier and less expensive than on site and allows you to handle this process when you are not in your office. Managed destruction is a great solution for businesses that have sensitive materials to dispose of and need to ensure all records, as well as equipment, are destroyed in a timely and efficient manner.

When working with an off-site document disposal provider, it is important to choose the one that offers the right type of service and level of protection for your business from risks such as identity theft. For example, you may want added security onsite while the material is being shredded or added security during transportation depending on how much risk your company faces and how much sensitive information is being disposed. Once the records are secure, you are able to choose a shredding method that fits your company’s needs.

A common method of destroying confidential material is cross-shredding. With cross-shredding, paper is broken into pieces after passing through a shredder. Cross-shredded materials may take several seconds to break apart so they will immediately attract attention from any potential criminals.

After cross-shredding, the material is further pulverized with an industrial garbage can crusher. The sheer size of the machine makes it difficult to lift or carry away and makes it next to impossible for anyone to put the material back together again.

Another method of destroying sensitive material is called single-pass shredding which uses one shredder to do all of the work instead of three separate machines used in cross-shredding. The paper goes into one machine and comes out as tiny pieces that are impossible to reassemble because they have been cut in half by two blades that move at different speeds on different feeder and discharge sides of a single machine.

Unless the machine is built in a way to clearly mark the feeder and discharge sides of the system, there can be some confusion at first about where the material is going. However, because of accuracy, this method of destruction can be more effective than cross-shredding.

Most common methods for destroying confidential or sensitive material are done either off-site or onsite.

Off site documents disposal companies use a variety of services to dispose of your records after they have been destroyed using these methods:
The information provided on this page has been obtained from https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/privacy-security/data-security. The FTC gives this information only as a service to consumers in obtaining general information about consumer issues.

The information reflects the views of the source which, depending on the contents, provides either pro or con commentary. Therefore, the FTC does not guarantee that companies mentioned are completely free from regulatory concerns (or indeed that they are in compliance with all laws). It is up to each consumer to do research and make their own choice.