Key considerations to safeguard your organization

Although many businesses are making the move to paperless, most still collect and store paperwork that contains sensitive information. From payroll and personnel records to client lists, credit card and bank information—it’s these types of data that ID thieves are on the hunt for and that can pose a security risk to your organization.

1. Prevents identity theft

In 2018, nearly 15 million businesses were victims of some type of ID theft. Records stored onsite are one of the top ways breaches occur. As a business, it is your responsibility to safeguard your client’s and your staff’s personal data and to ensure that you’ve taken every possible precaution to prevent a breach. Shredding outdated documents on a regular basis is key—the longer you retain files that contain confidential information, the higher your risk of ID theft becomes.

2. Complies with the law

Numerous laws have been implemented with regard to protect people’s privacy and personal information. Businesses are mandated to comply with these laws by destroying confidential data on a consistent basis. Laws include HIPAA, FACTA, HITECH and GLBA, take a look:

• HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires healthcare professionals properly transmit, share or discard health information properly
• FACTA: The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act requires proper destruction of discarded consumer information to reduce the risk of identity theft
• HITECH: The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act widens the scope of privacy and security under HIPAA
• GLBA: The Gramm-Leach Bliley Act is a US federal law that requires financial institutions to explain how they protect and share consumer information

3. Clears the clutter

Another important benefit to shredding outdated files and paperwork is clearing out clutter within your office space. Stacks of paperwork and file cabinets filled with documents can be a fire hazard in addition to posing a threat of theft.

Businesses need to be proactive with security measures to protect themselves against corporate identity theft and remain compliant with state and federal laws. Secure shredding is a key step in ensuring that confidential data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Find a local shredding and destruction provider to set up a regular shredding schedule—be sure to partner with a company that provides onsite mobile shredding, which allows you to witness the destruction process, giving you peace of mind that your records have not been comprised.

All Points Mobile Shredding offers NAID AAA Certified shredding and destruction services in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties. For more information, please call us at 800-696-8483 or complete an online quote request.