Why Even Paperless Offices Need Scheduled Shredding Services

These days, companies in a variety of different industries are going paperless for many reasons. Physical copies of documents can take up a lot of storage space, especially for a larger company. And digitizing all of a company’s documents makes it possible for any employee with the right credentials to access them at any time.

Though there are many benefits to going paperless, there are also some security risks. Online data fraud is a serious risk; even physical manifestations of digitized data like hard drives and USB drives can potentially fall into the wrong hands.

That’s why security should always be a concern when transitioning to a paperless model, just as it is when data is stored the old-fashioned way.

How Do Paperless Companies Destroy Sensitive Data?

Once your company has gone paperless, private professional and personal information should be stored on external hard drives rather than your employees’ computers. This way, the information can truly be eliminated by destroying the hard drive once the data saved on it is no longer needed.

When information is kept on internal hard drives within computers, it can accidentally be saved in a variety of different places. This makes it more difficult to ensure you’ve completely wiped sensitive data from the computer once it’s time to do so. Additionally, the computer itself has the potential to be hacked.

How to Prioritize Data Security When Going Paperless

Going paperless doesn’t mean your company isn’t able to use the services of a professional data destruction company. Here are a few key ways to make sure your data is secure while you enjoy all the benefits of a paperless business model.

Check Your Local Laws

Depending on the location of your business, you may have to follow different laws of compliance surrounding how online communications and documents are stored. These laws cover specific archiving rules as well as how long the data should be retained on a hard drive until it becomes obsolete.

Speak to a law professional about local guidelines, especially if your company operates in multiple states.

Create and Implement a Conversion Plan

As you’re transitioning to a paperless business model, many paper documents will soon become unneeded as their data is transferred to a hard drive. Create a detailed conversion plan that clearly states which documents will be transferred and when. This will make it easier to know exactly when to shred the paper documents.

Destroy Obsolete Hard Drives

Hard drives tend to be a secure way to store information, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to being stolen or compromised. Once a hard drive’s data has become obsolete and no longer needs to be stored for compliance reasons, ensure it’s destroyed with the help of a professional shredding company.

Trust the North Dakota and South Dakota Shredders with Your Data Destruction

Sensitive data destruction goes much farther than shredding and erasing the information on a hard drive. If not done correctly, there’s no guarantee that the data is completely gone. Trust the pros at SEAM with your paperless data destruction to ensure the safety of your private information.