It is surprising how many companies still store massive amounts of documents that are legally required to be destroyed. Shredding old documents is the secure way to ensure that confidential information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Paper Cuts has been Red Deer and Central Alberta’s source for secure document shredding since 1993.
2. Watch your Copy Machine
Most people don’t realize it, but using a public copy machine could be dangerous for your information. Always ask the person in charge of the copy machine what they do with the scanned documents. Companies who own or rent copy machines should destroy the hard drives of the copy machines before selling or returning them. Below is a video that exposes the truth about what information can be found on copiers.
3. Document storage
All companies and individuals are required to store certain documents. It is important that these stored documents are kept secure. Keeping them in locked rooms, or with secure document storage companies is a great way to ensure confidential documents don’t end up in the wrong hands. Individuals might consider keeping personal information such as passports, birth certificates, and other government identification stored in a safty deposit box or a personal safe.
4. Hard Drive destruction
When your computers are ready for recycling, remove the hard drive from each unit and have them destroyed. Even if you erase the information on the hard drive, it can still be recovered via free programs! If you cannot destroy the hard drive, use a special program that eraces the hard drive 5-7 times, and then writes 0′s over each block. Although this still isn’t as secure as destroying the drive, it greatly reduces the liklyhood of your data falling into the wrong hands.
5. Don’t use email or internet on computers that hold confidential information
Sometimes a virus can get onto your computer and compromise your sensitive information. Even visiting a website can create a malicious file on your computer. If your company store accounting information or other confidential information on work computers, consider getting a second computer just for internet and email. By keeping your accounting computers (and others with sensitive information) away from email and web serfing, you greatly reduce the chance of getting a malicious bug. Computers have become so small and inexpensive that it is easy to connect a second computer to a desk. Never open spam e-mails or download files from website you don’t trust.
6. Use strong passwords with uppcase, lower case, and special charictors
Creating a strong password doesn’t have to be difficult. Just combine things that you already know, such as your parents first phone number combined with your grade one teacher’s name. Then use the shift key on part of the name and part of the number and you instanly have a strong password. Change your password every 6 months. You can change your password buy changing where you use the shift key, or by reversing the order of the name/numbers. When choosing a password, avoid using things like a mothers maiden name, your social security or insurance number, or a birthdate.
When it comes to cutting identity theft and protecting your sensitive information, it pays to know the facts. Paper Cuts has been providing Red Deer and Central Alberta with secure paper shredding and recycling solutions since 1993. Here is a list of 10 of the most common myths we hear regarding paper shredding and media destruction.
Shredding Myth #1 – No one will look through your trash.
YOu may be surprised to learn that there are many people who routinely go through company trash. Searching a dumpster for bottles is common practice, but it may not cross your mind that your personal files may be sharing that same dumpster.
Even if no one goes dumpster diving for your personal information right on site, there is no guarantee that your information will stay in the bag while it is at the dump. A short field trip to any landfill will reveal just how much paper flies around in the open!
Shredding Myth #2 – It’s cheaper to buy a paper shredder.
Shredding Myth #3 -If we buy a shredder, our employees will use it.
Unfortunately, we see time and time again the following:
The employee just has a single sheet to discard, so he rips it in half and tosses it in the garbage.
The employee keeps a box of papers to be shredded under the desk for long periods of time, allowing it to build up. This alone becomes a security issue. Once the box gets too full, the employee realizes that it will take too much time or effort and simply tosses them in the trash. It is also very common for the cleaning staff to unwittingly empty these boxes into the trash.
Because office shredders are noisy, the jobs get delayed and people must work around meetings and phone calls so as not to disturb.
Shredding Myth #4 – It’s better to keep all the records for as long as possible
It is surprising to hear how many companies store their documents until they go out of business. The government has set up laws to help businesses owners know how long to keep information in an attempt to find balance between usability while keeping identity theft down. Companies who do not follow the guidlines set by the Alberta Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) risk leaving their employees’ and customers’ information sitting for too long, increasing the probability of identity theft. Even employees who no longer work for the company would be at risk if sensitive documents were not shredded and destroyed.
Shredding Myth #5 – We must shred our own documents to remain compliant with the law.
It is true that confidential documents must be destroyed, however it is not a requirement that the destruction be witnessed by an employee. Once your company has contracted someone reputable to shred your documents, they can shred them on site or remove them to a warehouse to be shredded.
Shredding Myth #6 – Recycling is just as legal as shredding.
At first thought, one might think that general recycling is just as effecting as shredding. After all, it destroys the lettering and turns it into something else. The problem with general recycling for your confidential information lies in the many hands that process it.
General recycling bins are typically not lockable, leaving all the information available for whomever wants to go fishing for it.
Most general recycling companies are not security screened. Their drivers could be people with past criminal records. General recycling companies are also not trained in security practices.
General recycling is baled in a warehouse where all the paper is dumped onto the floor and then bailed. During this time it is easy for a worker to pick up a piece of paper and read it. There is little stopping the worker from keeping the paper.
The baled paper is transported to a pulp plant where more hands sort though it, again increasing the chance of an unscrupulous person taking your secrets.
Shredding Myth #7 – Shredded paper cannot be recycled.
False. At Paper Cuts, all your paper is shredded right on site. The shredded material is then brought to the warehouse where it is baled and shipped to recycling plants. Just because the paper is in small pieces doesn’t mean that we can’t recycle it.
Shredding Myth #8 – We do not have enough paper to benefit from a service.
According to FaCSIA in their 2006-2007 sustainability report, the average employee uses between 10,000 and 20,000 pieces of paper a year. That means a company with just one person would fill a small sized bin or a console ever other month. Paper Cuts shreds for many small companies, even if they only fill a small bin once every two months. If your are a small company, chances are you are very busy. If you can save time AND money, that’s a plus. Using Paper Cuts’ shredding service can save you both time and money.
If you assign your shredding to an employee at $10/hr and he shreds only 5 minutes a day, the cost from labor will be about $16-$20 a month. Now add to that the price of a $200 shredder with a life expectancy of 60 months (plus bags and oil). That works out to between $6 and $8 a month in shredder costs. So the cost of shredding your own works out to between $22-$28 per month. That doesn’t even include the cost of general recycling for the bagged shred – typically between $7-$10 for a large bag.
Shredding Myth #9 – Office shredders are safe and easy.
Have you ever noticed the small symbols on a shredder? They cross out neckties, long hair, and usually a few other things. Not only can they attack your necktie, but many models have dust issues. When you shred with a professional shredding service such as PaperCuts, your papers are shredded in one of our shredding trucks. This removes the dust problem and eliminates any possible shredder accidents.
Shredding Myth #10 – Office shredders are more secure.
Most offices don’t realize how out of date their shredders are. Many shredders make strip sizes as large as 1/4″ wide! The problem with strip shredders is that they do a very poor job of destroying the content. The smaller the particle size, the more secure the shred. With an onsite shredding solution such as Paper Cuts, each piece is a different size and shape. This occurs because the paper is pummeled to bits and dust. As your documents are being destroyed, they are being mixed with literally tons of other bits of paper making it impossible to recover.
Companies that sell paper shredders argue that it saves money to buy or lease a paper shredder. Shredding companies claim that their services save money. Let’s look at some of the options to see when it is of benefit to use a shredding service vs buying an office shredder. The following information assumes the average [...]
