In every type of organization, proper and efficient handling of documents and information is an ongoing and sometimes complicated process. Depending on the type of information you handle, your documents have different retention periods to remain compliant with legal and regulatory requirements. In many businesses, especially larger entities, there are potentially thousands of pages of hard copy records that are no longer necessary and can be destroyed. Proper and efficient elimination of your unnecessary documents and media improves efficiency of document management, saving you time and money, and improves the security of your sensitive information. When it’s time to dispose of documents and media that are no longer needed, it’s important to destroy information in a way that abides with standards and protects sensitive details.
To shield your company’s sensitive financial information and protect those with whom you conduct business: corporate tax records, bank statements, financial statements, canceled checks, payroll documents, supplier purchase orders and plastic credit cards should be securely shredded. Competitors would love to have insight to the cash flow and financial dealings in your organization, and could resort to retrieving discarded documents from your dumpsters. Mishandled credit card charge receipts expose you and your customers to thieves’ who want to steal card numbers and make unauthorized purchases.
To protect ongoing business interests, research and development reports, training information, strategic reports, marketing information, new product plans, formulas and product tests should be securely destroyed. Unhappy employees and thieves are more than happy to get sensitive information and sell it to competitors or otherwise use your secrets to undermine your efforts.
Personnel files, medical records, disciplinary reports, client lists, customer lists, performance appraisals and contact lists must be properly destroyed so as not to expose employees and valued business contacts to identity thieves and competitors who may be looking to recruit your best talent.
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 holds all individuals and businesses that use information from consumer reports for a business purpose to dispose of an individual’s identifying information in compliance with the Disposal Rule, which calls for proper destruction of records to eliminate unauthorized access and use.
To best protect your sensitive documents as they become eligible for destruction, choose a records management company that has received National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) Certification. Corrigan Record Storage offers a full range of on-site and plant-based shredding services, with secure containers to maintain the integrity of your sensitive information while it awaits proper disposal. Call or fill out our free consultation form in the sidebar to learn more about expert records management and destruction.
