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When the world is turning to digital for solutions for everything – from weight loss to efficient working systems, some more analogue things can seem a little redundant. Like paper shredding. With so many solutions geared towards creating the ‘paperless office’, you’ve got to question how relevant or necessary services like paper shredding are in this modern scenario. But while digital data plays an important role in business, the fact is that we still rely on paper documentation for a lot of our processes. Even in GDPR, there is a clause explaining the need for effective document disposal, and recommendations for how this should be carried out (by using a certified secure shredding facility). Here’s why we think paper shredding still has a role in today’s digital world.

 

Trust

Providing the best possible customer service is the cornerstone of any successful business, and a big part of that is demonstrating how seriously you take the security of your customer data. Thanks to a number of high profile breaches and the infamous GDPR, individuals are now more aware than ever of what businesses do with their personal data, and the risks associated with the poor management of that data. So they’ll want to know that any businesses they deal with are disposing of documents that contain sensitive or personal information about them safely and securely. When it comes to physical data (such as surveys, signed contracts or even client notes), there is nothing more secure than shredding. The documents can’t be recovered, and you can provide peace of mind to your clients, building trust and laying the foundations for a long-lasting relationship.

 

Efficiency & Sustainability

When it’s necessary to store the physical copies of confidential data (as it is in numerous regulations), the sheer volume of paper is going to take up a lot of space. So it’s important for you to know how long you should be keeping that confidential data before you destroy it. The way to get around this problem is to create an efficient storage process, and pair it with an equally efficient disposal process. This will ensure that documents aren’t kept for longer than strictly necessary, saving space and minimising the risk of data loss due to fire, flood or other natural disasters. As well as creating a sustainable office paperwork system, an outsourced shredding company will also recycle what has been shredded, improving your company’s environmental impact and taking big steps towards meeting green initiatives.

  

Compliance

When it comes to the use, storage and destruction of data in any form, there are a lot of regulations you need to follow. The most common and overarching of them used to be the Data Protection Act, which has recently been replaced by the GDPR. So now, the safe storage and destruction of data is vital to every business. Using the services of an accredited secure shredding facility helps you ensure complete compliance with the destruction elements of GDPR, along with dozens of other regulations. And since you are given a certificate of destruction when the shredding is completed, you will have proof of that compliance in case of any audits.

 

Protection

And finally, shredding provides an element of protection for both you and the individuals and businesses you deal with. By disposing of old or out of date information as soon as it becomes obsolete, you are vastly reducing the chances of a data breach and the loss of that data. This not only protects your business from financial loss and reputational damage, but it also protects the identities of your customers, suppliers, partners and anyone else you hand the information of. If a document isn’t disposed of properly, then everything from payment details to birth dates, addresses and even wage information could be accessed and used. But by investing in secure shredding, you mitigate that risk and protect everyone involved in the process.

 

At Greenaway, we are firm believers in the idea that the paperless office is a myth. Sure, we might be able to vastly minimise the amount of paper we use, but businesses will always find ways to use paper in fay to day operations. So instead of striving to achieve ‘paperless’ and put the problems of paper behind you, we work with you to mitigate the problems paper can cause and give you a simple, cost effective way of dealing with it. For more information, just get in touch with the team today for your free consultation.