4 Reasons You Should Ditch Your Paper Shredder Now

Paper shredding protects the confidentiality and security of your information. But using an office paper shredding machine to destroy your sensitive records can be both costly and risky. Here are four reasons you should ditch your paper shredder now.

1. Office Paper Shredders Are Time-Consuming

Using your office paper shredder is a slow process because it’s designed to shred only a few sheets of paper at a time. Paper clips, staples, folders and sticky notes must be removed before shredding. Between feeding documents through the cutting slot to unclogging frequent paper jams, shredding a 50-page file can take a while.

2. Office Paper Shredders Need Maintenance

Even if used infrequently, your paper shredder requires maintenance. The shredding receptacle should be regularly emptied so shredded paper doesn’t back up into the blades. The cutting head may require frequent oiling to keep your cutting blades lubricated (many paper shredder manufacturers recommend that blades to be oiled every time the receptacle is emptied). And with so many steps required even before feeding pages through the cutting slot, these maintenance tasks may be ignored. If that happens, your shredding machine may not be up to the task next time you need it.

3. Office Paper Shredders Are Unreliable

You’ve been there: You need to shred a document but your paper shredder doesn’t work. But delayed maintenance may not be the only reason it’s not working. Paper shredder overuse and misuse is common in a busy office, and when non-paper items like staples and paper clips are run through your shredder, they can cause permanent damage. Paper jams are common because it’s tempting to push through too many sheets at once. And heavy, frequent use can cause the motor in your shredding machine to overheat, requiring you to let it to cool down before it can be used it again.

4. Office Paper Shredders Increase Data Breach Risks

It’s impossible to maintain the confidentiality of obsolete documents when your paper shredder isn’t working. And even when functioning properly, your paper shredder may not reduce your company’s data breach risks. Busy employees may push aside tedious document shredding tasks, letting sensitive documents pile up in unsecured areas leaving sensitive information vulnerable. Often, employees toss files recycling bins in order to avoid the frustrating shredding machine altogether. When your paper shredder is used, all shredded material is bagged and eventually thrown into a dumpster where it is at risk of being stolen and potentially pieced back together.

The Solution to Your Office Paper Shredder Problems

Yes, office paper shredders are problematic. But a professional shredding service makes ditching your office paper shredder easy. Locked collection containers are delivered to your office for free. Your employees simply drop confidential files through the slot, quickly and easily.

On a scheduled or on-demand basis, the contents of your collection containers are collected by a screened service technician and destroyed on-site at your facility or securely transported off-site for destruction at a shredding plant. Strict chain of custody procedures guarantee the privacy of your information throughout the collection and shredding process, and you receive a Certificate of Destruction afterward.

Professional paper shredding provides the following benefits to your company:afterward.

• Secure document destruction
• HIPAA, FACTA, SOX, and GLB compliance
• Identity theft prevention
• Increased productivity

Records Management Center provides professional shredding and destruction solutions for businesses throughout Augusta, Evans, Thomson, and Martinez, GA, and Aiken, SC and the Central Savannah River Area. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.