If your office is about to be overrun by old documents nearly billowing out of file cabinets or from an old storage closet, it might be time to part with those you no longer need.
Before you feel inspired enough to pile everything into a recycling bin, take a second to think about why you’ve held onto everything this long. There’s a good chance that you haven’t gotten rid of these files by now because they contain sensitive information about your business, your clients, or maybe even yourself. You may not even know what’s in them, so you keep them around to be sure that they won’t fall into the wrong hands.
You’ve thought about shredding them, but you’d need a commercial shredder or someone who could dedicate their time to making sure your documents are properly disposed of. Is it really worth it?
Shredding Guards against Identity Theft
The first reason you should consider shredding is to protect your clients against identity theft. You’ve likely received personally identifiable information about your clients over the years. Whether it was their names, addresses, Social Security numbers, or any kind of contact information, if it falls into the wrong hands, you could be held liable if the breach traces back to documents your company failed to destroy.
Shredding Protects Your Clients’ Privacy
Even if your files don’t have the kind of information that would make identity theft a real threat, they might contain sensitive information about your clients’ affairs. While the main concern here is maintaining privacy for privacy’s sake, lawyers and doctors have obligations to uphold attorney-client privilege and doctor-patient confidentiality. Meeting notes, court documents, patient charts, letters, and all other unneeded documentation about your business with past clients and patients should be properly destroyed.
Keep in mind that certain licensed professionals are legally required to hold on to certain documents for a certain stretch of time! Check with the laws pertaining to your profession and in your area before shredding anything!
Shredding Shields Your Company from Exploitation
Just as information about your clients or patients should be protected, so too should information about your company. You probably don’t want internal memos, notes, reports, letters, and other documents that detail your business’s affairs floating around. These could reveal insight into your business strategy or trade secrets that keep your competitive edge sharp, but you won’t have to worry about losing that edge if you shred old documents.
Do You Need Shredding Services?
At Acro Photo Print Inc., we can help you complete the life cycle of your documents by ensuring they are properly destroyed. Our commercial shredding services make us a great option for businesses that need to make sure their documents are systematically and securely destroyed as thoroughly as possible.
We can meet any shredding requirements you may be held to by the National Association of Information Destruction, or use these methods to help you rest assured that sensitive information is properly disposed of.
Learn more by connecting with one of our specialists today. Call Acro Photo Print Inc. at (929) 244-4322 or by contacting us online.