Posts Tagged ‘classified shredding’
Avoiding Industrial Espionage with On-Site Paper Shredders

Shredding documents on site vs. off site mitigates security risk for many business enterprises.

Industrial espionage is rife. Newspaper headlines are often filled with tales of defecting executives and disgruntled employees that have been accused of selling company secrets to rival businesses, and there seems to be no end to the lengths that some people are willing to go to in order to steal company data.

How serious is it? U.S. Intelligence officials estimate the financial cost of such actions could run as high as $250bn a year in lost sales for American businesses. Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Google, Renault, Motorola, Intel, and General Electric have already fallen victim to industrial espionage, and more will surely follow.

If these examples prove anything, it is that you cannot afford to take chances with your data. The more control you have over company documents the better, and when the time comes to dispose of sensitive materials, you need to do it right.

For instance, do you send your paper shredding to an off-site vendor? The risks of doing so are greater than you might think. Here are five reasons why shredding your documents on-site and in-house is better for your security.

1. Regulatory Compliance – The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act dictates that businesses disposing of credit check data need to do so securely so that it cannot be compromised in any way. Similar safeguards are required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. On-site paper shredders are a great way to fulfill these regulations immediately, and without further legal action.

2. Risk Mitigation – The less people that have access to your confidential information, the better. Paper shredders are a sound risk reduction strategy because they instantly remove access to a given document and ensure that it cannot be used against you now, or in the future.

3. Identity Theft – It is one of the biggest growing crimes in recent years, yet something that is easy to guard against with the judicious use of a paper shredder. Give your clients the protection they deserve and shred their confidential data in-house instead of calling in outsiders.

4. Court Room Confidence – In the event of industrial espionage, American companies are protected by the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, so long as the secrets that were compromised were subject to reasonable security measures. In other words, if it was recovered from a dumpster, left in a coffee shop, or it fell out the back of an off-site shredding truck, your hopes of successfully prosecuting those responsible may well be diminished. Don’t take chances. Shred your documents when you are finished with them.

5. Peace of Mind – Can you really trust outside shredding companies to guarantee your documents are handled securely? How well do you really know your shredding company? What is their record like with other customers? What about their drivers, their procedures, their schedules? The peace of mind you get from doing something yourself cannot be matched, because you know that it has been done right. Shredding documents in-house ensures this.

Document security is not something you can afford to be lax with, because the moment you let your guard down, your company is left exposed, and the risk of data loss is increased. So if you’re truly concerned about industrial espionage, and the effects that it could have on your business, invest in some in-house paper shredders. It may just be the best decision you ever make.

 
How to destroy classified information

Classifications for document shredders are handled by the NSA. The official list of Approved shredders can be found on the NSA/CSS 02-01 Approved List. We at K.L. Security pride ourselves on carrying the best products available, which in this case is the Dahle line of shredders. With a shred size of 1mm x 4.7mm Dahle shredders provide the
security level you need when destroying all levels of Classified Information. As a trusted provider, our team will be sure to match your needs with the most suitable option available.

Call us today Toll Free at 866-867-0306 to speak with a US Government product specialist today! Or email Travis at [email protected] for same day answers to your secure document destruction questions.