The hustle and bustle of the workday can be engrossing enough. Imagine trying to worry about secure document disposal at the same time! Most businesses that interact with the personal information of their clients (such as credit card information, health details, or even a home address) find themselves in need of a way to safely dispose of that information.

The need to protect personal data is so great that not one but several laws have been passed detailing how it should be handled. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) works to secure health information that could be used to identify an individual or their healthcare plan. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) focuses instead on the protection of customers’ financial information. These are only a few examples, but the penalties for a business that does not follow their required legal guidelines for safe data handling, can be expensive. You can see why shredding services are so appealing, and why mobile (also called on-site) document shredding is so valuable.

Busy Office? Mobile Shredding Comes to You

Companies who work to shred their own documents may run into a few roadblocks. First (and arguably the most frustrating) is the sheer volume of time needed to feed papers through an office shredder, one by one. Not only does it monopolize the time of at least one employee, but standard office shredders may not even meet the necessary destruction requirements for the type of information being shredded.

Let’s suppose that time and money are of no consequence to a company. Where should all those sensitive documents be stored until they can be shred? Cardboard boxes in the supply room can’t offer nearly enough protection for personal information of that quantity. What would happen if an employee were to forget where to put them, or if that individual accidentally dropped a paper in the regular trash, where anyone could find it?

Mobile shredding offers a solution to all the above concerns.

What is Mobile Document Shredding?

Mobile shredding is what it sounds like. A shredding service capable of moving from place to place, in the form of a specially outfitted truck. The truck technicians, all certified in the handling of sensitive information, will then either collect bins of documents to be shredded or, as is more common in one-time shredding, will accept documents on location. These trucks can shred up to 4,500 pounds of paper per hour, so one is usually more than enough to handle whatever volume of documents await.

The best part about a mobile shredding service is that it can be tailored to meet the needs of your company. It’s typically more economical, guarantees destruction in a way that complies with federal law, and can even be set up to be part of a regular office routine. Whether it’s a one-time shredding session or the presence of locked collection bins for scheduled pickup, there’s an option for every business.

One of Many Types of Destruction Services

While this mobile service may certainly be the best option for a spontaneous deep-clean of the office or a community-wide shredding event, there are other options for shredding. Scheduled visits enable routine disposal of sensitive documents. The papers will still be destroyed on-site before being taken away to a secure facility for recycling.

Of course, papers aren’t the only thing that can hold customer data. Hard drives, SD cards, cell phones, CDs, backup tapes, and even computer memory boards are all frequently used to store or transmit customer information. When the information no longer needs to be stored or when the hardware breaks down, it is absolutely vital that these devices be completely destroyed. One of the worst mistakes a business can make is the assumption that a simple deletion will erase a customer’s information. To ensure no chance of data recovery, these devices should be physically destroyed beyond repair. One way to accomplish this is through hard drive destruction, another variation on shredding.

Does Mobile Document Shredding Sound Right for You?

Shredding provides a wealth of benefits to companies, such as the knowledge that documents will be safely and securely removed. This service is often more cost-effective than trying to shred in-house. It also reduces the risk for employees, who may not be trained in or have time to worry about proper data disposal.

If you’re ready to get shredding, or if you want more information on our services, give us a call today at 844-400-2437. You can also get in touch with us online!