Good security practices demand that sensitive documents undergo secure document destruction. You don’t want anything with a social security number or other personal information on it to end up in the trash. Many companies can keep private information safe by using a shredder in their offices. However, for companies that produce substantial amounts of paper that needs shredding, an individual shredder isn’t enough. Those companies need to contact a paper shredding company to arrange for either on-site or off-site shredding.
How Do On-Site and Off-Site Shredding Differ?
On-site and off-site shredding differ in both location and equipment. When we do on-site shredding, we initially provide you with secure containers. These containers have a slot near the top with either a locked door below, or a locked lid. You place the papers you need shredded into the container through the slot. When it’s time for your shredding appointment, we bring a mobile shredding truck to your workplace. This truck contains shredding equipment, and we feed the papers from the containers into the shredder. You can watch us do this if you prefer.
Off-site shredding works a little differently. Instead of gradually accumulating a batch of papers in one of our secure containers, you gather what you have in your own bag or box. Then, you either bring the container to us or arrange for us to pick it up. In either case, we’ll shred the documents at our facility.
What Are the Benefits of Each?
On-site shredding is perfect for businesses that routinely produce a large number of documents that need destruction. For example, legal and medical offices often have to destroy old records or forms. They also need to keep these documents secure until the shredding appointment. It would take entirely too much time for someone to bring documents to us for shredding every day. Instead, the documents stay safe in our locking bins until the shredding appointment. It’s also much easier to get people to comply with safe-storage rules if they can simply drop items through a slot.
Off-site shredding is ideal for those who don’t routinely produce a lot that needs shredding. It’s also more flexible as you can choose to bring the items to us, or to have us come to you. For example, an office that purges confidential files once a year may not need regular on-site shredding. Instead, an appointment to shred that one huge batch is enough.
What Do You Need to Consider With Each?
The trade-offs for the convenience of on-site shredding are cost and space. First, you need to have enough space in your office to store the container. The smallest we offer is 19 inches wide and 17 inches deep. That may not sound very big, but it can take up more space than you expect. And then there’s the price. You’re effectively renting the container from us. That plus travel time plus the service you get on site adds up, and on-site is usually more expensive than off-site.
With off-site shredding, the trade-offs are that it’s less convenient and possibly less secure as far as your office is concerned. You aren’t renting a locked container from us in this case. That means you won’t have that secure storage for the documents before your shredding appointment. If you have a locking drawer where you can keep the documents, then security isn’t an issue. But if you don’t have anywhere safe to put the items, you end up taking a very big chance by leaving them unsecured. This can put you in violation of HIPAA, FACTA, or regulations baked into government contracts. And if you bring the items to us, you need to take time out of your busy day to get that done.
Contact Our Mobile Shredding Service to Discuss Your Company’s Needs
Both on-site and off-site shredding have the same goal, but the one that works best for you depends on your specific circumstances. There’s no need to ask yourself things like, “Should I really hire shredding services near me.” If you need to have items shredded, then hiring a secure shredding company is your best bet.
Our company can do commercial shredding, residential shredding, and even media and electronics shredding. If you need secure document destruction in the D.C., Virginia and Maryland region, contact TrueShred for a consultation or quote today.
