Data security is a huge concern for most
organizations these days. Even the thought of client data and sensitive
credit information slipping into the wrong hands is enough to make
small business owners cringe. A shredder can help to keep sensitive client information
out of the hands of identity thieves and can protect the reputation of
your business.This
article is designed to provide you with four questions that you should
ask before purchasing a shredding machine.
Data security is a huge concern for most
organizations these days. Even the thought of client data and sensitive
credit information slipping into the wrong hands is enough to make
small business owners cringe. However, one of the best things that a
company can do in order to secure its data is to buy a shredder for
your office. A shredder can help to keep sensitive client information
out of the hands of identity thieves and can protect the reputation of
your business.
If you are considering the purchase of a paper shredder for your
organization there are several things that you should consider. This
article is designed to provide you with four questions that you should
ask before purchasing a shredding machine. Here they are...
What
types of materials do you need to shred? Obviously you are going to
want to destroy paper documents. However, many companies need to
destroy more than just paper. You will need to ask yourself if your
sensitive documents have staples and paper clips? If they do, you are
going to want to pick a machine that can handle these. You might also
need to deal with computer disks, CD's, DVD's and continuous forms.
Again, you should check to see if the device that you are interested in
will handle these types of materials.
How many departments in your organization handle sensitive
data? If your company has an accounting department, a marketing
department and a sales department it is possible you might need to
consider buying more than one device. Remember that if it is not
convenient for your employees to use the shredder they will probably
just throw things in the garbage.
How many people will need to share the same device? If you
decide to purchase one larger shredding device for your entire office
you will need to figure out just how many people will be using the
machine. It is important to know this so that you can determine the
correct size and capacity of machine that is most appropriate for your
needs. After you have determined the approximate number of users that
will be sharing the shredder you can get an estimate of the amount of
sensitive information that needs to be shredded each day. Keep in mind
that the actual amount is usually double the initial estimate.
What level of security do you need? For organizations that
deal with large amounts of sensitive consumer data it is important to
consider purchasing a machine that offers a greater level of security.
The level of security offered by paper shredders is a reflection of the
size of confetti or strips that it produces. Most low security devices
will shred documents into long strips. As the security level rises, the
machines will cut documents into smaller and smaller pieces. The
ultimate in document security is offered by DOD or NSA approved devices
which cut documents into such small pieces that they are approved for
use in high security government facilities.
As you answer these questions, you should be able to narrow your search
for the right shredding machine. As you get close, the final step is to
balance your needs with your budget. Just remember, buying too small a
device for your needs is way worse than buying too large a device.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, binding covers, shredders,binding supplies,laminators,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,binders,index tabs, and shredders.
