Why Is It Important to Shred Business Documents?

In today’s capitalist society, businesses have access to a lot of information. While much of this information is stored digitally, many businesses continue to store paper files with sensitive and confidential information. Eventually, there comes a point where these types of files are no longer needed. At that point, the proper course of action is not to toss them in the garbage but to shred them. Shredding business documents is crucial for many reasons and protects you, your business, your customers, and even the environment.

Preventing Identity Theft

Anyone in business knows the type of sensitive information that can appear on business documents. Credit card numbers, bank accounts, social security numbers, and birth dates are just a few of the personal tidbits of information that can be found on business paperwork. Failing to dispose of confidential personal information through shredding puts your customers at risk of identity theft.

Protecting Your Business

Sensitive information about your business can also be found on your business documents. Your personal information, employee information, pay stubs, time cards, health records, earnings, information about your business partners, and other confidential information present a significant risk of data breach. Shredding can protect you, your employees, your business, and your business partners from privacy theft. It also protects your business from bad publicity for accidentally releasing private information.

Following the Law

Shredding confidential documents is not only a wise business practice but is also required by law in many cases. If you do not abide by your legal obligations concerning the information you are given, your business may be liable for prosecution, or at the very least, sizable fines. Privacy legislation often requires businesses to properly destroy sensitive information. It is better to secure your customer and client information through shredding than risk legal trouble for noncompliance.

Sustaining the Environment

Sustaining the environment is a high priority in today’s world. By shredding documents, you can ensure that the paper is recycled and reused instead of sent to a nearby landfill. Shredding is an eco-friendly process that helps you do your part in protecting the environment.

Keeping Things Organized

Papers, papers, and more papers easily pile up in any business. Keeping hard copies of so many things could be preventing your business from functioning as smoothly as it should. Shredding documents that are unneeded or are a certain number of years out of date is a good practice for preventing the buildup of excess paperwork in your office storage. It creates space for more important things and allows your business to operate more efficiently.

Providing Peace of Mind

Business owners are always juggling a million things at once. The security of information about your customers, business, and employees should not be a constant concern on your mind. Shredding tax returns, photo IDs, credit card information, receipts, voided checks, bank statements, personal documents, and other such files and records releases the pressure on you and allows you to focus on more important things—like running a successful business.

Shredding Mobile provides secure shredding services with Cal Micro Recycling. As specialists in data destruction and e-waste recycling, Shredding Mobile provides knowledge and experience you can trust. Our convenient and cost-effective solutions can be tailored to your needs and provide the quality and security of service you desire, whether it is a one-time or recurring service. For more information, call (833) 507-6934 or contact us online today.