3 Steps to Take Before Purging

Once you’ve made the decision to purge your company’s documents, it’s important to ensure that you’ve not only partnered with a reputable shredding and destruction partner, but also that you take some important steps beforehand. Take a look:

1. Ensure You’re Compliant with Retention Laws

While it varies by industry, there are many mandates when it comes to record retention, so it’s important to make sure that you’ve followed retention procedures before shredding documents. Consider HIPAA, and other similar guidelines depending on your industry and be mindful of state and federal regulations regarding document retention.

2. Take An Inventory

Before you have documents shredded, make sure you’ve taken inventory of what’s being destroyed and what you are keeping. It’s a good idea to create a digital record of the list of shredded documents as a reference in the event that questions arise later. This step can ensure that you know exactly what you’re shredding at all times.

3. Be Mindful of Legal Requirements for Certain Documents

In addition to understanding document retention laws, you must also be sure that you are not shredding any documents that must be kept for corporate taxes and other similar procedures. Having a document management system in place can help you stay organized and ensure that you are retaining records for the correct amount of time.

Performing a company document purge is an important step in your security policy. By doing so, you are taking proactive steps to prevent breaches and corporate identity theft. Purges can be done on a regular basis, depending on how much paperwork is generated by your organization.

All Points Mobile Shredding can assist you by providing shredding and destruction services–including providing a certificate of destruction with every shred. We serve a variety of business customers throughout South Florida, from Okeechobee County all the way to Broward County. Give us a call today or fill out this form to learn more.