SELECTSHRED | SHREDDING IN STUART SHREDDING IN PALM CITY SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING IN FORT PIERCE SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH SHREDDING IN HOBE SOUND – 10 simple NEW YEAR’S SHREDDING RESOLUTIONS

As you reflect on changes for the New Year, consider the following 10 simple shredding resolutions:

I RESOLVE TO:

1. Lose my dependency on the office shredder because it does not adequately afford me the legal protection that I need.
2. Re-evaluate my current shredding service provider to be absolutely sure that I am getting the service that I deserve.
3. Review my current document destruction policies to ensure that proper procedures, documentation, and records are being followed.
4. Consider my satisfaction with the total package of my current service—billing, reliability, responsiveness, etc.
5. Be informed of the risks of not having a secure document destruction program in place.
6. Determine the qualifications, certifications, and processes of your shredding service.
7. Learn more about the federal regulations that govern your industry such as FACTA, HIPAA, and GLBA.
8. Protect my business from information security breaches and identity theft by using a third party document destruction provider.
9. Protect people and preserve the environment by shredding all paper first and then having it recycled.
10. Use a NAID AAA certified mobile shredding company for the secure destruction of confidential documents and hard drives.

http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security/data-security

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SHREDDING IN STUART SHREDDING IN PALM CITY SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH

Top 5 Things Customers Need to Know

1. Businesses are required and obligated by laws and regulations to destroy and dispose securely of confidential information to reduce the risk of consumer fraud and identity theft. Shredding is the most common acceptable method of destruction and is considered as taking reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to or use of information when it is disposed.
2. There are severe penalties for businesses that do not destroy consumer information before it is discarded as required by various federal laws such as HIPAA, FACTA, and GLBA. Violators can face civil liability, class action law suits, enforcement by the federal government, and enforcement by the states. Fines can range from in the thousands to in the millions of dollars.
3. Recycling without first destroying confidential media is not a secure method of disposal of confidential information and renders a business vulnerable to information security breaches. Material sent for recycling is often manually sorted in usable and intact form, rendering your confidential information vulnerable to extraction and misuse. Recycling also provides no documentation that confidential information has been securely destroyed.
4. Shredding in-house with an office shredder will not provide appropriate legal protection in case of an information security breach. A certificate of destruction from an on-site third party shredding service will prove that a business took all reasonable measures to avoid an information security breach and will also provide appropriate legal protection.
5. Placing shredded paper from the office shredder in the trash increases vulnerability to misuse of information by various dumpster divers: criminals looking for personal information; competitors looking for customer data; and reporters looking for a story about your business.

SELECTSHRED | SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE VS COST OF DIY

DOCUMENT SHREDDING IN STUART DOCUMENT SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE DOCUMENT SHREDDING IN HOBE SOUND DOCUMENT SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH

How many times have we heard that our staff members use office shredders and it does not cost anything? Why should we have a service do our shredding when we can do it ourselves as securely as any outside service?  Everything costs something! The most obvious cost is the time spent by busy staff to feed the office shredder. Office shredders decrease productivity and decrease profitability, costing at least twice as much to use as a recurring shredding service. As obvious as wasted staff time is, there is a bigger picture—decision makers should think about how their brand, image, and reputation will be affected if document security and destruction are not considered as important components of their business risk management program.

Let’s start with security. Are you absolutely sure that your confidential documents are shredded on a timely basis? Are they put aside until someone gets around to shredding them?  It is more likely that employees are so busy with other assignments, shredding is not a priority and stays in the office until one day when they get around to it. A NAID AAA Certified company provides lockable containers to keep your sensitive information secure until they are ready to be shredded on a regular schedule. The NAID AAA certification status requires maintaining the highest employment standards, information protection, and professionalism in the industry.

Lack of compliance with various federal, state and local regulations will result in heavy fines and penalties for companies that do not safeguard the confidential information in their custody from secure retention to proper disposal. Remember that shredded paper placed in plastic bags and thrown in the trash contain information that could be put back together and you have no legal ownership of the trash–just ownership of the bad publicity due to misuse of information discovered in the dumpster. It is important to have a document security and destruction program in place to prove that you have taken all reasonable measures to safeguard the confidential information in your custody?

Office shredders provide no record of a compliant document destruction program but a NAID AAA Certified company provides protection and documentation if legal issues arise due to an alleged or actual information security breach. A certificate of destruction is a legal document that proves your use of a third party service provider for the proper destruction and disposal of your confidential information. It is easier to avoid large fines if you have a compliant document security and destruction program in place.

The big picture is really “What is the cost if your company has an information security breach?

http://www.niada.com/PDFs/Publications/Safeguards%20Rule.pdf

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED | WHAT’S YOUR SHREDDING POLICY?

Keep Your Confidential Information Secure. Don’t Let it Walk Off as Trash

TREASURE COAST SHREDDING SHREDDING IN STUART SHREDDING IN PALM CITY SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING IN FORT PIERCE SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH SHREDDING IN OKEECHOBEE

Certainly no organization would want to convey that they have a policy against shredding…against protecting privacy rights and preventing identity theft. Is that really the message that you want to communicate to your valuable customers and clients who have entrusted you with their personal and confidential information? Develop a policy that says “We care about keeping you safe from identity theft and protecting your privacy.”

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) shares some tips to minimize the possibility of accidental exposure of confidential information: Shred on a regular schedule, use a qualified third party service for all of your document destruction, treat all documents equally by shredding everything, and have a secure document destruction policy. NAID emphasizes that, to avoid serious errors, you should never let some records go in the trash while other records get shredded. A third party document destruction service provides legal protection and proof of regulatory compliance. A certificate of destruction is provided after each shredding service for your legal record.

A first step in developing a policy to protect the confidential information in your custody is to build a relationship with your mobile/on-site document destruction company that is NAID AAA Certified. A NAID AAA Certified company follows strict standards in the document destruction industry that protect clients. Develop a partnership and form an alliance in the ongoing effort to fight identity theft, safeguard confidential information, protect individual privacy rights, and be compliant with federal regulations—HIPAA, FACTA and GLBA.

Another important step involves the message that you send to your employees, customers, and clients to show that you care by implementing a formal document security, destruction, and disposal policy. Without a proper policy in place, your organization, employees, customers, and clients could be jeopardized due to a lack of accountability and knowledge. Properly trained employees, a formal document destruction program, and a recurring document destruction service are the best ways to combat identity theft, stop information security breaches, prevent privacy violations, and protect businesses from crippling penalties due to non-compliance with federal, state, and local regulations governing your industry.

Follow the link below to read more about the importance of having a formal document destruction policy in place.

http://web2.fkks.com/uploads/news/Chase_Fordham_Article.pdf

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

Considerations when choosing a qualified third-party secure on-site document destruction and hard drive destruction company

With all the important tasks to deal with in a busy day, the secure destruction of your sensitive information on paper or hard drives gets moved to the bottom of the list until lack of space or time dictates that this matter can no longer be pushed aside. It is not that you don’t care about the proper destruction and disposal of your information, it has more to do with where does document shredding and hard drive destruction fit into your list of priorities.

Your old records and files are valuable and should not be thrown in the garbage or otherwise discarded without thought. They should be destroyed and disposed of by a qualified and properly certified third-party secure on-site document destruction and hard drive destruction company to help protect you from liability.

The following are some steps to consider in making your decision to choose a qualified third-party secure on-site document destruction and hard drive destruction company.

• Shredding should not be a one-time event. It is an ongoing process with procedures in place for safeguarding your confidential information until its ready to be discarded.
• Build a relationship with your shredding company. Don’t fall prey to the lowest request for quote. Consider recurring service for maximum security.
• Know the qualifications of your shredding company. Is it a NAID AAA Certified Company? Do the employees and owners undergo criminal background checks and drug screening? Do you always receive a certificate of destruction for your record? Does the company specialize in information destruction or do they offer “shredding” as a side service to add revenue?
• Find out if your documents are shredded on-site (at your location). Do you want your confidential information transported away to be sorted and shredded at a later date at a remote location?
• Can your shredding company’s representatives be easily reached? Are they willing to customize services to fit your needs? Are they able to answer your questions and allay your concerns?

As you would in selecting any kind of service, you must take the time to understand if you are receiving a secure and proper document destruction service or a “shredding” service that exposes you to liability. Always remember that ultimately, the accountability rests with your company’s decision maker to make sure that the information was properly destroyed.

Follow the link below:

http://www.sdbmagazine.com/sdb0914-misleading-sales-strategies-NAID.aspx

SELECTSHRED, INC.

7960 SW JACK JAMES DRIVE

STUART, FL 34997

(772) 463-3166

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is constantly raising the bar for its information destruction members to ensure that customers receive the most secure and highest quality service that is possible. Opportunities for misrepresentation are always present in any line of business and using a NAID member that has achieved NAID AAA Certification status is a significant start to ensuring that the strictest ethical standards and highest level of certification are adhered to when choosing a document shredding and hard drive destruction company to destroy your sensitive information.

One good reason to keep talking about NAID is to increase awareness that not all service providers are created equally or, at the very least, you are able to make informed decisions. It is all about education and allowing yourself the opportunity to understand that just getting the lowest quote for recurring or one-time service is not the only measure you should use to determine your service provider. We keep emphasizing that decision makers should ask for the company qualifications and certifications of any third party vendor that they plan to use to destroy confidential information.

A NAID AAA Certified Company is assured that it is a secure and ethical operation because it follows and abides by the rigorous standards and requirements of NAID. NAID AAA Certification companies offer their customers transparency, integrity, and legitimacy. NAID AAA standards ensure that your business is compliant with federal regulations such as FACTA, GLBA, and HIPAA. These standards also ensure that you have the requisite documentation in place. It is important to know that the individuals handling your confidential information have undergone initial and random drug/substance abuse monitoring, initial and periodic criminal record searches, driver record reviews, employee training, access control, and other factors covered by NAID AAA Certification.

As we have said before, SelectShred chooses to be a NAID AAA Certified Company because it chooses to put its CUSTOMERS FIRST. Follow the link below to read about modifications to the NAID AAA Certification program.

http://www.sdbmagazine.com/naid-modifies-certification-program-requirements.aspx

SELECTSHRED DOES TREASURE COAST SHREDDING INCLUDING STUART SHREDDING PALM CITY SHREDDING PORT ST LUCIE SHREDDING FORT PIERCE SHREDDING JENSEN BEACH SHREDDING PALM BEACH SHREDDING.

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AWARENESS WEEK IS NOVEMBER 16–22, 2014 AND WILL BE OBSERVED WITH A FREE COMMUNITY SHRED EVENT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM AT THE CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE POLICE DEPARTMENT

SelectShred will observe International Fraud Awareness Week by joining the City of Port St. Lucie Police Department and the Palm Bay Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) to co-host a free community shred event to help increase fraud awareness.

International Fraud Awareness Week was established by the ACFE to encourage business leaders and employees to take steps to minimize the impact of fraud by promoting awareness and education. The goal of ACFE is to serve the community by promoting fraud awareness.  A common fact about fraud is that organizations worldwide lose an estimated 5 percent of their annual revenues to fraud.

A free community shred event is a great public service opportunity to promote the awareness of fraud and identity theft, as well as the importance of shredding to keep your sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. Our goal is always to go beyond a free shred day to educating you for the future. The shred event is an opportunity to learn about a NAID AAA Certified document destruction company and the role it can play in helping individuals and businesses fight fraud, prevent identity theft and information security breaches.

SelectShred is a locally owned and operated independent mobile document destruction company providing secure on-site document shredding and on-site hard drive destruction service for business, professional, medical, and residential communities in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Palm Beach, and Okeechobee Counties. We provide a service that combats fraud by helping to fight identity theft, safeguard confidential information, protect consumer privacy, and secure trade secrets and proprietary information.

As an opportunity to renew your commitment to preventing and detecting fraud, follow the link to ACFE INSIGHTS and read How Will You Observe Fraud Week?

http://acfeinsights.squarespace.com//acfe-insights/2014/8/14/how-will-you-observe-fraud-week

Other sources and references include the following links: http://www.palmbayacfe.com/

and http://www.fraudweek.com/uploadedFiles/Fraudweek/content/documents/5-fraud-tips.pdf

SELECTSHRED DOES SHREDDING ON THE TREASURE COAST, INCLUDING SHREDDING IN STUART, SHREDDING IN PALM CITY, SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE, SHREDDING IN FORT PIERCE, SHREDDING IN HOBE SOUND, AND SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH.

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com

SELECTSHRED |FOR YOUR PROTECTION! LOOK FOR THE NAID AAA CERTIFICATION LOGO AND ASK FOR THE CERTIFICATE

Industry Standards, Ethics, Quality Assurance, Security and Compliance 

What does it take to run a successful company? Certainly, industry standards, ethics, quality assurance, security and compliance all play a role. Does choosing your information destruction service provider fall under the same level of scrutiny to manage your company’s risk and reputation? Absolutely.

Managing your company’s risk and reputation starts by choosing the right information destruction company. Whether you are looking for recurring service or one-time service for shredding confidential documents or destroying hard drives, it is necessary to choose carefully. Check the following off your list before you choose your information destruction service:

• USE A NAID AAA CERTIFIED COMPANY

• ASK FOR COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATION

• KNOW IF SHREDDING OR HARD DRIVE DESTRUCTION IS DONE ON-SITE (AT YOUR LOCATION) FOR MAXIMUM SECURITY

• GET A CERTIFICATE OF DESTRUCTION AFTER EACH SERVICE
• MAKE SURE THAT THE COMPANY PROVIDES ALL DOCUMENTS THAT WILL PROTECT YOU IN THE EVENT OF A REGULATORY AUDIT OR AN ALLEGED INFORMATION SECURITY BREACH

What is NAID? The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) certifies paper shredding and hard drive destruction operations. NAID is the international trade association for companies providing information destruction services and establishes service standards and requirements for the industry.

Why should a shredding company want NAID AAA Certification? A NAID AAA Certified company knows that it is running a secure and ethical business. It is following the strict guidelines of NAID to ensure the integrity of its operations.

Why should you care about using a shredding company that is NAID AAA Certified? When your business uses a document destruction company, it is required by law to make sure the company has the resources and systems required to protect your information. The NAID AAA Certified company does the necessary due diligence by evaluating and verifying employment history, as well as conducting drug screening, background checks, employee training, access control, special documentation, and other factors required by NAID AAA Certification. A NAID AAA Certified company ensures that your business is compliant with federal regulations (FACTA, GLBA and HIPAA).

SELECTSHRED | PREVENTING IDENTITY THEFT—ONE STEP AT A TIME

Every day we must fight to prevent identity theft from destroying our lives and peace of mind. News reports are filled with the latest data breaches and we worry about how to avoid identity theft. Florida has the highest rate of identity theft in the country but we won’t dwell on that because with awareness comes action.

The article, Four strategies to protect yourself from identity theft by Stewart Welch, lists the following steps: Get your free credit report; Monitor your credit card and bank account activity; Set up fraud alerts and credit freezes; and Hire a monitoring service. Follow the link to read the full article. http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/01/four_strategies_to_protect_you.html

As a document destruction and hard drive destruction company, we encourage you to take another step to fight identity theft and protect yourself. Shred all of your confidential paper documents that you are no longer required to keep and physically destroy your obsolete and damaged hard drives. Sometimes, whether you are an individual or operating a business, using a personal shredder/office shredder will not do a secure and effective job. At that point, use the professional service of a NAID AAA Certified Company. Ask for the NAID AAA Certification.

All personally identifiable information such as name, date of birth, social security number, and address must be shredded. Some documents carry specific information that is sometimes used to confirm identity, such as mother’s maiden name, past addresses, past vehicles owned, and past milestones. Confidential documents to shred are: invoices, bank statements, financial documents, credit card receipts, canceled checks, legal documents, insurance records, human resource records, health records, old tax records, draft documents, and proprietary information.

SELECTSHRED DOES SHREDDING ON THE TREASURE COAST, INCLUDING SHREDDING IN STUART, SHREDDING IN PALM CITY, SHREDDING IN PORT ST LUCIE, SHREDDING IN FORT PIERCE, AND SHREDDING IN PALM BEACH.

Richard Kinkead, Owner/President

Gloria Kinkead, Owner/Vice President

SelectShred, Inc.

T: (772) 463-3166

info@selectshred.com