Outsourced shredding services
With identity theft on the rise everyone needs to be more careful of where their information is placed. Today we have the innovation of commercial shredding equipment which can make it very cost effective to outsource your shredding. So the question should be what shredding company you will outsource to, not what shredder you should purchase. Here are just a few points you should take into consideration when choosing outsourced shredding services:
- Mobile shredding or offsite shredding?
- Is document destruction the same as shredding?
- Does the shredding company insure the actual documents?
- Do they supply a certificate of destruction?
- Are they recycling the material domestically or internationally?
- Is the material strip shred or cross shred?
- If cross shredding, is the material shredded to a small enough particle size?
- Did the company offer to let you watch the shredding process?
- How fast is the shredding equipment?
- 10. How are they charging (By the box, bin, time, or by the weight?)
- 11. Can they supply documentation of their shredding process?
Each one of these questions has an answer that can give you more security in knowing that the process is keeping your material safe. Don’t just pick any company because that could be putting you at more risk. All shredding companies are not created equal and with just a few questions you can realize what company will be the best suited for your needs.
Other reasons to outsource
- Temps or low paid employees can be your biggest risk of identity theft.
- Routine service can cost as little as $0.50 per day.
- Outsourced shredding services proves that you took reasonable action to safeguard confidential information.
Knowing the lifecycle of documents is also really important. Many people believe that 7 years is the amount of time that documents need to be saved but that’s just not true. Some documents can be shredded sooner and others need to be saved longer.
Two things that are costing you more money than you probably think.
- Storage of documents – this can be very expensive especially when you might be able to shred some of the material earlier then your current document retention program.
- Boxes – Many companies today are taking the time to research pricing to get the best value for products but at the same time they are spending money where it might not be necessary. With routine shredding of documents that are not necessary to store you can save the cost of the actual boxes. Bins and consoles for this service are usually supplied free of charge by shredding companies. In addition if you are shredding your stored documents more often you may be able to reuse the boxes that just had the material shredded in them.