Far too often, many business professionals think that data breaches only happen digitally these days. In reality, physical records are still a major vulnerability for all types of businesses. In 2022, in the United States, data breaches affected over 294 million people. Getting commercial shredding services is one of the best ways to help reduce your vulnerability to data breaches. TrueShred is one of the DMV’s most trusted NAID AAA-certified shredding partners.
Paper Documents Are a Bigger Risk Than You Think
There are tons of different paper documents that your business may handle. These include things like financial files, client data, and even employee records. Each one of these is a common entry point for data breaches. Dumpster diving and document theft are real low-tech threats to any business. Getting routine shredding protects businesses from data breaches and ensures federal handling compliance.
The Types of Documents That Put Your Business at Risk
Traditionally, you may have thought of paper shredding for businesses as a way to get rid of excess clutter. In reality, secure document shredding is important if you want to protect your business, clients, and employees alike. The first step in the process is knowing the types of documents that can put your business at risk.
- HR records
- Client contracts
- Invoices
- Medical files
- Bank statements
Many of these documents will have names, account numbers, and signatures. These can all be a liability if there isn’t proper document destruction in the DMV. Realize that thieves typically only need small chunks of data to inflict identity theft on clients or your employees.
How Professional Shredding Stops Breaches Before They Start
Routine shredding protects businesses from data breaches by ensuring that the data is properly destroyed. We offer on-site HIPAA-compliant shredding services that secure the chain of custody. TrueShred has mobile shredding trucks that will come to your location to destroy all the documents on-site. This eliminates the risk of interception that could otherwise happen if the documents were transported away from your facility. We do provide NAID AAA-certified shredding, because it’s the gold standard when it comes to secure document shredding.
Compliance Laws That Require Secure Disposal
There are a variety of compliance laws that businesses must follow when it comes to document destruction in the DMV. These fall under the classifications of HIPAA, FACTA, and GLBA. HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and applies to healthcare providers, insurance companies, and businesses that handle protected health information. This requires that all patient records be securely disposed of so they can’t be read or reconstructed.
FACTA stands for the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act and focuses more on protecting consumer credit and financial information. It requires that businesses with sensitive financial and credit data use reasonable measures to destroy the documents. Sensitive data includes credit reports, account numbers, and personal identifiers.
GLBA stands for the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and applies to financial institutions and businesses that handle non-public personal financial information. This act requires handlers to protect customer data throughout its entire life cycle. Non-compliance with FACTA, GLBA, or HIPAA-compliant shredding can result in heavy fines and reputational damage to your firm. TrueShred offers a variety of commercial shredding services to help ensure your business stays compliant.
TrueShred’s Certificate of Destruction: Your Paper Trail of Protection
Whether you get ongoing scheduled shredding or one-time NAID AAA-certified shredding, we will provide you with a certificate of destruction. This is a document that you can keep in your records that proves you performed safe and secure document shredding. This document is especially helpful when it comes to things like legal disputes and audits, as you can show documented proof of your compliance.
One-Time or Ongoing: There’s a Plan for Every Business
Because paper shredding for businesses is so important, we offer both one-time and ongoing shredding services for companies. Whether you’re looking to do a major office cleanout or you want ongoing scheduled shredding, we can handle it for you. We provide secure lock bins to store sensitive documents between our pickup times.
Getting secure document shredding is one of the most cost-effective and simplest ways you can protect your business from a data breach. It ensures compliance with all sorts of regulations, like HIPAA, and can give you peace of mind about the safety of your business, employees, and customers alike. Simply contact TrueShred in Manassas, VA, today to set up your shredding services.
FAQs
We receive many questions about our document shredding services and how they can help businesses throughout the community. Below, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions we receive so that you can learn more about our service offerings.
Can a data breach really happen through paper documents?
Yes, data breaches happen through paper documents. Sensitive information, like financial records, client data, and social security numbers, can all be stolen if they’re not properly disposed of. Even a single document that gets discarded can lead to identity theft or compliance issues for your business.
What types of businesses are most at risk?
Any business that handles sensitive customer or employee information is at risk. Some of the most common include legal firms, financial institutions, and healthcare providers. Small businesses tend to be more vulnerable because they often have fewer security protocols in place than larger businesses.
How does on-site shredding prevent unauthorized access?
On-site shredding is perfect for destroying documents immediately at your location. This eliminates the need for transport, which could allow these documents to be lost or accessed. On-site shredding is the most secure way to handle sensitive documents from start to finish.
Does TrueShred provide proof that documents were destroyed?
Yes, TrueShred provides a certificate of destruction after shredding your sensitive materials. This document serves as proof that the materials were disposed of securely and properly. It’s necessary to ensure compliance.
How often should a business shred its documents?
How often your business should shred its paperwork depends on how sensitive the paperwork is. Many businesses choose weekly or monthly shredding services to stay organized and secure. If you have a high-volume operation that deals with a lot of sensitive documents, you may need more frequent shredding to reduce your risk of a breach.
