Shredding your own documents, daily and on
site has never been more important than right now. With incidents of
identity theft and corporate spying increasing by the day, there is no
time like to present to begin to protect yourself as well as your
customers, clients and employees. If you are in the market for a paper shredder
for your office, your head may well be swimming with questions
regarding the levels of security offered by different types of
shredders. Here is a brief overview of the four main levels of security
offered by most of the well-known manufacturers of paper shredders.
Shredding your own documents, daily and on
site has never been more important than right now. With incidents of
identity theft and corporate spying increasing by the day, there is no
time like to present to begin to protect yourself as well as your
customers, clients and employees. On top of that, there are now federal
laws in place that require businesses to destroy certain kinds of
documents before discarding them. If you are in the market for a paper
shredder for your office, your head may well be swimming with questions
regarding the levels of security offered by different types of
shredders. Here is a brief overview of the four main levels of security
offered by most of the well-known manufacturers of paper shredders.
Strip Cut Shredders: Also known as straight cut
shredders, these machines offer the lowest level of security of all the
shredders out there. As such, it seems that this type of shredder is
becoming increasingly uncommon on the market. As you may have guessed
from the name, these shredders cut paper into long strips. Although
these strip cut shredders make it extremely difficult to piece
documents back together. With computer software it is conceivable that
someone could place the strips of paper together and recreate the
document you intended to destroy.
Cross Cut Shredders:
The next level up in security, these shredders cut your documents into
smaller sized, confetti-like chips. Also known as confetti cut
shredders or diamond cut shredders, these machines offer a step up in
security from strip cut paper shredders. The size of the cut varies
with the manufacturer and machine, and it goes without saying that
smaller sizes are better as far as security is concerned.
Micro Cut Shredders:
These are perhaps best thought of as cross cut shredders on steroids.
They use the same basic cutting method as cross cut, but the shreds
that emerge are much smaller, and thus much harder for anyone to
reassemble than a standard cross cut.
DOD/NSA High Security Shredders:
The stuff of spy films, these types of shredders are required to be
used at the highest levels of government such as the Department of
Defense, and the National Security Administration. These document
shredders are actually a type of cross-cut paper shredder. However, the
particles that they create are so small, you won't be able to identify
any text on them. By far the most expensive document shredders on the
market, these are also without a doubt the most secure.
Now that you know a little bit about the four different types of paper
shredders, we hope you can make a more informed purchase. As you are
shopping and weighing cost versus the level of security you believe you
will need, keep in mind that there are software programs in existence
that can somehow virtually piece documents back together on a computer
screen. However, the smaller the pieces your shredder is able to cut
your documents into, the harder it will be for those programs to work.
Other factors to keep in mind are that as the level on security
increases, so does the price of most machines. These are all important
factors to consider as you shop around for the right shredder for your
needs.
If you are looking for a good quality Paper Shredder for your office, you might want to check out MyBinding.com. They carry the full line of Fellowes Paper Shredders
as well as shredders from GBC Shredmaster, Martin Yale, Intimus, MBM
DestroyIt, Dahle and HSM of America. Choose from a huge selection of
cross-cut and strip-cut paper shredders all at great prices and with
free shipping.
