Why Small Office Shredders Are
Risky ? |
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Shredding our own personal and confidential documents is
something that a lot of small businesses consider a necessary
task, owing to the increased risk from identity theft. There are
many ways of going about this – official shredding, professional
shredding and shredding in house using a
little shredder sitting by your desk.
Many think that shredding their personal documents at home makes
it totally confidential. Don’t come to that conclusion too soon.
If you are a small-medium business, think about all the time
your employees spend shredding their documents. Put a dollar
figure against that time spent and you’ll know that shredding is
not exactly free even if done in-house.
Think about the risk from possible reconstruction of shredded
material. Read our article about Unshredding to know that we
aren’t kidding. Expecially if you are a medical practice, deal
with insurance of loan documents, then the chances are that
there are people waiting by your
dumpster to get a glimpse into your clients’ personal
information. The HIPAA act requires witnessed shredding with a
certificate. You are in violation if your employees are not
following accurate shredding procedures and documenting what was
shredded and when. Think about
disposal methods that HIPAA requires. Think about maintenance
costs including electricity, disposal containers, space and so
on. Are you really efficient and compliant? Can your business
afford not to be compliant? When you contract with a
professional shredding company, they
protect you from all these risks and let you and your employees
focus on what you do best – your business.
The home shredder shreds the paper in two forms, ribbon-cut or
cross-cut. Hence, it’s very easy to reconstruct the documents
easily as explained in our Unshredding article. Software has
made this process child’s play. But, when the same carried by
contractors the papers are shredded to dist hence the risk of
reconstruction is negligible.
Disposing the shredded papers plays a major role. The shredded
papers must be stuffed inside the disposal containers which is
locked and keyed. There are chances of putting the shreds in
recycle bins which has to be restricted strictly. The amount of
papers given and the papers shredded has to be monitored. When
the operator is accused, there won’t be any record or witness to
acknowledge the theft. The home shredded documents
are at high risk of reconstruction; hence the paper shredded was
not appreciated.
In summary the shredding of confidential documents at your desk
or at home can be a security and HIPAA compliance risk. Do not
hesitate to contact a professional shredding company to ask for
a quote, you will be relieved to
be sure that you are doing the right thing by protecting
yourself from lawsuits and your customers from identity theft. |
We are bonded and insured |
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ShredEx is capable of providing document destruction for both small businesses as well as large corporations. Whether you require a "one-time" use for the purge of archived documents that you are no longer required to maintain”
Mayer Kotlarsky
DMD Pharmacy Services |
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