One-Time or Scheduled Shredding: Which Option is Best for Your Business?

Data destruction isn’t something you can avoid these days.  With the dangers of data breach ever present in the minds of responsible South Dakota business owners, the consequences of negligent behavior are too great to risk.

That said, you naturally have to justify any time and money spent on such activities, which could give you pause when it comes to deciding whether to let hard copies pile up before you conduct a massive, one-time shredding event, or schedule ongoing maintenance, so to speak.  Which option is better for your business?

In truth, many companies find that a combination of the two is called for to cover a range of needs.  Here’s what you should consider before deciding whether one-time or scheduled shredding is right for your business.

One-Time Shredding

The name says it all.  You have a stockpile of paper you need shredded, so you call your trusted mobile shredding service to mass dispose of it for you, in keeping with privacy laws and applicable industry standards like HIPAA, FACTA, and so on.

This method is actually ideal in a couple of scenarios.  First, many companies are in the process of doing away with paper records in favor of digital data storage.  If you have years’ worth of accumulated records sitting around that you need to get rid of, calling your ITAD partner for a much-needed major shred is the way to go.

Of course, even companies that go largely paperless have to maintain some hard copies, such as original contracts, tax documents, certain employee records, and so on.  However, these documents can usually be destroyed at some point, say, after several years.  When the necessity to save paper copies expired, a high-volume shredding appointment may be needed.

Scheduled Shredding

While one-time shredding is perfect for certain needs, it doesn’t address the daily volume of paper many companies produce.  What you want to avoid is allowing hard copies containing sensitive data to linger out in the open, where they could be appropriated by employees who shouldn’t have access, or alternately, accidentally disposed of, opening the door to theft by dumpster-diving thieves.

This buildup of paper requires ongoing maintenance in the form of regularly scheduled shredding appointments, perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on your particular needs.  The good news is, your certified shredding partner can make the process easy for you.

Not only will your office be provided with locking bins to secure hard copies of data on the premises, but your shredding partner will come to your locations as scheduled to pick up and empty these bins, shredding documents on-site as you watch, before securely recycling remains.  You’ll not only enjoy convenience, but compliance with all applicable laws, down to the type of shredding equipment used and the size of confetti.

Both one-time and scheduled shredding have their benefits, and you can choose the options that are right for you or avail yourself of both when you partner with the right South Dakota ITAD service provider.  Contact the shredding experts at SEAM today at 605-274-7326 (SEAM) or online to request a quote and get started.