All Points Mobile Shredding Blog

Onsite Shredding vs. Offsite

Which one is right for you?

Safeguarding your company’s confidential data is crucial to your business—and shredding documents is a key component to this security. Working with a professional and certified shredding provider ensures that you’re permanently destroying those documents that are no longer needed, but could pose a risk to your organization and clients if breached. After you’ve made the decision to partner with a provider, the next step is to decide between onsite (mobile) shredding or offsite. Here’s a quick look at each option to help you decide which is right for you.

Onsite shredding

If you choose to go with onsite shredding, your provider’s mobile shredding truck will come to you. The entire destruction process will take place at your workplace and this type of service has several benefits including:

Immediate destruction

With onsite or mobile shredding, your documents are immediately shredded by the machinery within the shredding truck—so intact paperwork never leaves your office and what’s left are tiny pieces of paper that are mixed up and impossible to reconstruct.

The chain of custody

Onsite shredding reduces the amount of people handling your sensitive documents, which in turn reduces the risk of a breach. Once the truck arrives at your location, the trained technician simply loads the paperwork in and begins the shredding process.

Witnessing the process

Because you’re able to witness the shredding process, you can feel secure that your confidential documents are completely destroyed and haven’t been viewed or confiscated by anyone.

Offsite shredding

Offsite shredding is also an option that is available to businesses and involves having your documents transported offsite before they are shredded. Although it is an available service, it doesn’t come without certain risks. Take a look:

Destruction time uncertain

Unlike the immediate destruction that comes when you choose onsite shredding, offsite shredding can mean that your documents are held for hours, days or even weeks at an offsite location before being destroyed. This increased timeframe only opens you up to risks, including sensitive information being viewed by others, who may or may not be trustworthy.

Unable to watch the process

You can’t witness your documents being shredded if they are carted off somewhere else and destroyed at a later date. Some providers will offer to videotape the process for you—but this is usually a process that includes requesting video, waiting for it to be delivered and taking the time to watch it. In that amount of time, there’s no telling how many people have handled or viewed your documents

Many handlers

Unlike mobile shredding, where the technician arrives at your office and works right in front of you, offsite shredding can include several different people—the person who drives the truck, those that unload it and those that manage the shredding process. With each additional person that is handling your documents, the risk of information being viewed or stolen increases.


Choosing to shred your unwanted documents is the first step to ensuring your company is protected against identity theft or data breaches, which is key to protecting your bottom line. After reviewing the facts about onsite versus offsite shredding, it’s clear that onsite offers a more viable option—it’s the most secure way to destroy outdated and unneeded paperwork.

All Points Mobile Shredding is a leader in shredding services throughout the Treasure Coast, Palm Beach and Broward Counties. We’re a family owned and operated company that has been serving commercial and residential customers for more than 20 years—and we’d be happy to discuss your needs with you. Give us a call today at (800) 696-8483 or fill out our quote request form.

Dawn Connelly

Dawn is the vice president of All Points Mobile Shredding. All Points Mobile Shredding is a family-owned and operated on-site document destruction company that has been serving the Treasure Coast, Palm Beaches, and surrounding areas since 1994.

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