The Weakest Links in Your Information Destruction Plan

The end of the year presents a perfect time to reflect. Have you assessed your information destruction plan recently? In this blog, we offer several tips for addressing blind spots in your document and data disposal program.

1. Employees Shredding Documents

In-house shredding is routine for many organizations, but it exposes them to identity theft and business fraud risks. Document destruction is an afterthought for many employees. Partnering with a shredding and destruction provider ensures routine shredding of your confidential information. They deliver locked collection containers to your office for free. Your employees simply drop confidential files through the slot. On a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly schedule, a screened service technician collects the contents of your collection containers and destroyed them at your facility with on-site shredding or transports them offsite for destruction at a shredding plant.

2. Non-Compliance

HIPAA, FACTA, SOX, GLB, and GA Senate Bill 425 require businesses to verify the final disposition of personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Fines and penalties can result from failing to prove your compliance with these regulations. When your documents are professionally shredded, you receive a Certificate of Destruction that documents the time and date of shredding and proves your compliance with state and federal privacy laws.

3. Hoarding Paper Records

Choosing to do nothing with your expired and unwanted documents can cause legal trouble. A scheduled shredding service offers routine weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly document destruction of your outdated paper records. A one-time purge service offers a simple solution for getting rid of old documents and files.

4. Not Destroying Your Outdated Media

Erasing or reformatting your hard drives or tapes does not protect your data. With the right tools, thieves can extract sensitive information from outdated computer media. A professional media destruction service combines several steps to ensure the data on your outdated tapes and hard drives is irretrievable. First, the media is degaussed, erasing all data from the device. Second, a delamination process is used to separate the data-bearing material from the disk. Lastly, the media is ground into small particles. Once these combined processes are complete, your data cannot be retrieved.

By following these tips, you can strengthen your information destruction practices.

Records Management Center provides businesses throughout Augusta, Evans, Thomson, Martinez, GA, Aiken, SC, and the Central Savannah River Area with professional shredding and destruction solutions.

For more information about our shredding and destruction services, please call 706-724-7982 or complete the form on this page.