SELECTSHRED | SHREDDING IN STUART SHREDDING IN PALM CITY
SELECTSHRED — FIVE COMMON UNFOUNDED OBJECTIONS TO USING A SHREDDING SERVICE
Throughout the Treasure Coast and the Palm Beaches, there are five common but unfounded objections that are repeated quite frequently.
1. We Are Paperless. Are you really paperless? Just look around your own office. There is paper on your desks. Boxes of paper are in the office or in storage. The promise of a paperless world has been around for decades but it is not here yet. Lawyers, accountants, doctors, engineers, realtors, appraisers, etc. — you are still producing more paper than ever. If the paper has confidential information, there are federal regulations (FACTA/HIPAA/GLBA) that require you to safeguard, destroy, and discard responsibly all the confidential information in your custody. Even paper that you don’t consider as confidential should be shredded first and then recycled. Help the environment by keeping paper out of the landfills. All shredded paper is recycled into new paper products. If you are regularly scanning your confidential documents, those documents should be secured and shredded as soon as possible by a NAID AAA certified shredding company. http://www.attorneyatwork.com/step-right-up-to-the-paperless-law-office/
2. We Use Office Shredders. What can we say about this objection? At least you are shredding. However, the office shredder can never afford you the required legal documentation to show that you have a proper document security program in place and legal protection in case of an alleged or actual information security breach. What works is the regular use of a shredding service and receiving a certificate of destruction. Also, shredded materials from your office shredder so neatly put in plastic bags and placed in the trash have all the information you need to protect in a neat bundle waiting for the dumpster divers. A dumpster diver is not just someone looking for credit card data, etc., but it could be your competitor in search of your proprietary information or a reporter looking for the next big story.
3. We Don’t Shred Much. Here is where you are missing the big picture. A shredding service can be customized to fit your needs whether you accumulate large quantities of confidential documents in one month or in a few months. The importance of using a shredding service is that you have a system in place to safeguard your confidential documents and a system that can identify red flags, deter identity theft, protect your company from unnecessary legal action, and avoid fines. Also, don’t think that you need to fill a shred truck to effectively use a shredding service.
4. We Are A Small Office. No office is too small to have a shredding service because no office is too small to have an information security breach. No office is too small to be fined for not complying with federal regulations. No office is too small to suffer from the consequences of lost reputation. Even if it is only an alleged data breach, you could face severe fines because you have no record (certificate of destruction from a reputable shredding company) to show that you did all you could do to protect the confidential information in your custody.
5. We Can’t Afford A Shredding Service. Don’t dismiss the idea of a shredding service due to costs because you have to watch the budget. What you really can’t afford is federal fines, liability, lost productivity, and lost reputation. Besides, a shredding service is less costly than employees’ time spent shredding.
From Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Rio, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Sewall’s Point, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens, change your attitude and protect your assets — your confidential information from retention to disposal is not trash — it’s as important as any other asset in your office.
Richard & Gloria Kinkead
SelectShred, Inc.
T: (772) 463-3166
