Think you don’t need to worry about document disposal? Think again

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Many businesses we speak to wonder if they really need to worry about document disposal. They think, “Oh, we’re just small, nobody is going to be interested in our documents,” or “It’s ok, we don’t really collect any sensitive data.”

Well, stop and think again. We can pretty much guarantee that EVERY business collects some form of sensitive data. Think about staff records – like address, date of birth, tax file number and bank account. That sounds like enough details for somebody to commit identity fraud to me! Or customer details like their budget for certain projects or how much they are spending on a particular service – what kind of trouble could one of your competitors create with that kind of information?

Hard copy documents are recognised as one of the weakest links in the security chain for most organisations. Here’s some of the most common problems that can occur from inadequate disposal and destruction of documents.

  • Identity theft
  • Poaching of customers by competitors
  • Competitors gaining access to sensitive pricing information
  • Leaking of future plans to competitors
  • Reputational damage to your business if lost or misplaced documents are traced back to you
  • Corporate espionage – according to In Context, four out of the ten most notorious corporate espionage cases involved hard copy documents

For a small investment, we can provide you with a one-off or regularly scheduled document collection and destruction service. We provide securely locked bins for the safe storage of documents waiting to be destroyed and use fully accredited facilities to destroy the documents. We’ll also provide you with a certificate of destruction as part of our security guarantee, so you can rest easy that all appropriate steps have been taking to protect your business, your staff, and your customers. Disposing of sensitive documents any other way just isn’t worth the risk.

Give us a call today to discuss our services and make your first secure document collection and disposal booking.

Shredding and document destruction basics

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If you or your business are disposing of paperwork with confidential data just by throwing it in the recycling bin then you need to listen up and stop that practice immediately. To protect your business and your customers from the threat of fraud, identify theft and competition from other businesses, you need to implement a comprehensive document destruction policy.

Let’s take a look at what you and your business should be shredding, how to shred documents securely, and whether you should engage a professional document destruction service.

What to shred

You should be shredding all documents that contain ANY confidential information. For many businesses, this could mean nearly every document produced – think about does it contain information like a client’s address, an employee’s medical records, or information about business plans and strategies. Safely destroying documents is the best form of protection for your business.

How to shred documents securely

Many of the shredders you can buy at an office supply store will cut paperwork into thin strips. For improved security, you should at a minimum look for a shredder that uses cross cut technology to cut the paperwork into even smaller squares rather than long strips.

Should you use a professional service?

The most secure form of document disposal and shredding is through a professional service. There are several key benefits to using a shredding service:

  1. It is time efficient: Retail shredders can usually only shred a few sheets of paper at a time and can easily overheat. For most businesses practicing effective document security, you could easily have one person spend hours each week on feeding a few sheets at a time into a shredder – time that could be far more efficiently spent on delivering customer service for example.
  2. It is cost effective: Eshred can provide two secure bins for $63 per bin a week including GST. Compare this to the cost of an employee’s salary and the loss of time that could go towards income-generating activities and it is easily a more cost effective option.
  3. It is more secure: We guarantee complete document destruction and can provide a Certificate of Destruction for your assurance. You don’t need to worry that anyone could piece together shredded documents to steal valuable information.

Document security is important. To find out more about how professional document destruction can give you peace of mind for your business, contact us today.

End of Year Office Clean Ups

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With the festive season only six weeks away, it is easy enough to be swept up in Christmas parties, holiday breaks and department store sales. It is important, though, to take a moment to reflect on your office space and how you would like to leave it over this busy period.

Just because you and your workplace might be taking a break over December and January, it is unwise to assume your sensitive and confidential documents will be safe and secure in your absence. Remember: identity thieves bank on the fact that you won’t be around to maintain your usual diligence when it comes to safe document disposal.

Be proactive this silly season by pre-empting anything that could pose a potential threat to your business. As you begin to wind down towards the break, impose an office clean up. Consider dedicating set times for each department or faculty to eliminate waste within their workspaces. The same procedures for document disposal should apply, but on a more finite scale. Any paperwork that is not relevant in the new year should be filed or stored appropriately and documents to be shredded should be collected by your assigned sensitive document officer.

Practicing regular disposal of your documents is one way in which to safeguard your workplace against opportunistic criminals and identity thieves. Not only will you be reassured that your documents are being disposed of correctly, you and your employees can look forward to returning to an uncluttered and streamlined workspace.

Contact EShred today for more information on how we are the ideal solution to your end of year office clean up.

Environmental Disposal

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Just a year ago, a study revealed that Australian businesses are lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to recycling. The study, conducted by the nation’s leading waste and recycling experts Business Waste, found that most companies are devoid of a green policy and fail to separate their waste into recyclables and non-recyclables. Ultimately, this means that business waste is being sent straight to landfill.

Unfortunately, our poor track record when it comes to recycling practices is not through lack of infrastructure. It is simply a case of businesses not having the correct policies in place to dispose of their waste in an environmentally friendly manner.

And the number one material being improperly disposed of? Paper!

Business Waste’s research also revealed that some businesses are disposing of their waste at the household tip. It is indeed a dangerous habit to get into as businesses that do not adhere to their waste management duty of care are liable to pay hefty fines.

This is where EShred can step in and reduce both your company’s environmental impact as well as the costs associated with disposal.

For just $63.00 per bin, based on a two bin minimum, we can help your business move towards reducing your impact on the environment. EShred recycles all shredded documents to ensure there is no waste left behind.

Contact us today for your paper shredding needs and help our country to move towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Where CVs go to die…

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Those in search for a job have it tough. Not only do they spend hours trawling the net for the perfect position, stitch up an application addressing endless criteria and then submit it to a faceless board who they’d envisage would scrutinise every little detail-but they are met with the anxiety of what happens to their CV after the fact.

Admittedly, it is a cut throat world. Job ads receive countless replies and it is does not make logistical (or fiscal!) sense to send submitted CVs back to applicants. Besides, there is the very real possibility that businesses keep a hold of the best should a similar position arise in the near future.

But what about those who never even made the top of the pile? The hundreds of pages filled with personal details such as addresses, previous places of employment, sensitive information regarding projects completed. Where does it all end up and who is to blame if it ends up in the wrong hands?

When a board or panel meets to discuss the suitability of applicants, they are privy to highly sensitive information that should remain confidential. For most of us though, we are well aware that CVs have been known to end up in the hands of those vying for a promotion. Applications wind up sounding eerily similar to each other and office politics inevitably come into play. If you value the privacy of your employees and they personal details, implement a workplace policy whereby unwanted CVs and applications are regularly destroyed.

At EShred, we can guarantee that documents like CVs are shredded and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner to minimise the risk of privacy breaches. We offer reasonable prices to shred your unwanted paper documents that will put you and your employees’ (present and future!) minds at ease.

Contact EShred today to learn more about how we can fulfil all of your business paper shredding needs.

How EShred Works

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Recent media coverage regarding security breaches in small, medium and large businesses has given rise to the need for employers to consider just how secure their document disposal measures are.

Eshred is one of Australia’s leading document destruction companies, providing a fully secure and affordable document shredding service to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and ACT.

For as little as $63 per bin (minimum of two bins), Eshred will deliver and remove the bins and dispose of your confidential documents.

Certified document destruction occurs through:

  • Complete record destruction
  • Bin supply and pick up service
  • Daily and weekly document destruction services

The reason companies look to Eshred as their preferred choice of shredding service is due to their optimal security clearance and cost effective document disposal options. In addition, all clients are provided with a Certificate of Destruction as a guarantee that all records have been destroyed as per company policy.

You can have full confidence in our services as our pick up service includes transportation of your sensitive documents to our secure paper shredding site.

Our clients love our:

-no fees

-contracts

-no accounts

-accredited drivers

-flexibility in scheduled services

-Low-cost document disposal

-High-security measures

-dedication to environmental sustainability

Can I trust my paper shredder

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Understandably, the topic of document destruction has the potential to raise the shackles of any employer who has been the victim of a security breach.

Just this week, it emerged that a graduate member of the Department of Defence published a top secret document on a file-sharing website before snapping the disk in half and disposing of it in a household bin.

Authorities were alerted when it emerged that two pages from a highly sensitive document intended only for our country’s allies, were uploaded for public viewing.

Despite a thorough investigation of the 2012 incident, it remains unclear as to whether the breach has caused measurable damage to Australia’s national security. Additionally, court documents reported that ‘if a foreign intelligence service and/or others obtained access to the information…it is reasonable to assume that they would keep such access secret.’

Whilst this most recent breach cannot be attributed to poor paper shredding, the lesson remains the same in that only a select few executive employees should be entrusted with sensitive documentation. The Defence document was created for ‘5 eyes only’, yet unauthorised access led to our country’s security being placed in unpredictable jeopardy.

Trust becomes the most pertinent issue when opting for a paper shredding solution; both within your organisation and in the company who will be conducting your shredding services.

At Eshred, we recommend devising a clear company policy that allows for regular updates and revisions when needed. When your employees are informed, they will be empowered to work towards change. They must be aware of the documents to shred and how to identify them quickly and easily to avoid the accidental destruction of essential information, as well as how to methodically store any information that is to be archived for future reference.

Additionally, up-skill a select number of executive staff on how they can support the organisation and its employees to reduce any document or data breaches. Assigning a team or team member the responsibility of collecting documents to be shredded can streamline the process and ensure its success.

Finally, it is essential to place your trust in your chosen shredding company. Acquaint yourself with their website, consider how they dispose of the paper waste (for security as well as environmental factors), read testimonials and get in contact regarding any questions that may be unanswered. At Eshred, we take the secure destruction of your documents seriously and provide all clients with a Certificate of Destruction, guaranteeing that the work has been carried out according to our legal and ethical guidelines.

Contact us today on 1300 629 875 for more information on how we can help you find the solution to your document shredding needs.

Why Use Us As Your Preferred Document Shredding Service

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The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the U.S.A. made headlines last week when it was the victim of one of the most significant security breaches in history. A forensic investigation ensued after it was discovered that its internal database, housing background-check records of more than 21 million current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors, was hacked.

Personal information including social security numbers, residency, employment and educational histories, information about immediate family and other personal and business acquaintances, health, criminal and criminal histories were illegally obtained. Whilst a cyber hack, it brings to the forefront just how far-reaching security breaches can be.

Why use us as your preferred document shredding service?

Eshred offers document destruction Australia-wide to safeguard you and your business against potentially devastating information leaks. We are proud to operate under the four cornerstones of Affordability, Convenience, Security and Environmental Friendliness.

Affordable

Our bins are charged out at only $55.00 per bin, pre-paid on a minimum of to bins per service. You won’t find any cheaper than that!

Convenient

Choose from two options:
Scheduled Services (Monthly-Fortnightly-Weekly)
or
Once Off Service (Minimum of two bins-Maximum of two weeks-No contract)
*Conditions apply

Secure

All documents for disposal are destroyed and recycled with high security clearance to ensure confidentiality. This is achieved from the moment the leave your site until they go through the process of secure document destruction.

Environmentally Friendly

Our document destruction shredding services comply with environmentally friendly standards. EShred recycles all shredded documents to ensure there is no waste.

We have:
*No fees *No contracts *No accounts *Fully accredited drivers

Call us today on 1300 629 875 to find out more.

What type of documents should I shred?

 

Despite the ever increasing shift towards becoming a paperless society, hard copy documents may never be completely eradicated. For this reason, it is essential that you and your workplace implement failproof systems to ensure secure documemt shredding. There are obvious dangers associated with the shredding of documents, as the need to destroy sensitive information is paralleled with requirements to archive certain information for future reference. Through the development of clear guidelines, your company stakeholders can rest assured in the knowledge that any risk to identity theft, sensitive information and important documents is being actively reduced at every opportunity. We have put together some suggestions to assist you in managing your company’s paper trail now and into the future.

Communicate the ‘why’

Knowledge leads to empowerment. If your employees are informed as to why documents must be shredded and which documents they are obliged to destroy, you can begin to work together to create a secure workplace. Ensure they are aware of the risks of neglecting to shred, as well as the importance of filing important information. Schedule regular meetings as new policies or documents emerge to allow employees to clarify their responsibilities.
Create a ‘shred vs no shred’ infographic
Laminate a large colourful poster in your common areas where employees can regularly view the documents they are to shred. Also make this available in your Staff Share drive to allow for quick access when employees are working at their desks. This covers all bases and does not allow for grey areas. Update your infographic as required.

Nominate a shredding officer

A simple, yet effective strategy is to nominate a willing employee as a shredding officer. Ensure they are up to date with the many documents that your company is handling and whether or not they are to be shredded. Their responsibility is to assist other employees on not only which documents they must shred, but how to effectively archive all saved documents for seamless future reference.

Implement a ‘no clutter’ policy

At the end of each work day, employees should actively clear their desks by either archiving or shredding any loose paper. Communicate the risk of having unsecured documents around the office so employees understand their obligation. This will also significantly decrease the tendency to accumulate mountains of uncategorised paper that is at risk of being overlooked and accidentally shredded.

Store saved documents in a secure location

Once employees have set aside documents to be archived, provide a secure and organised location. Access to this location should be limited to executive staff members. This is another way to safeguard against identity theft and the leaking of sensitive information.

However your workplace chooses to implement their shredding policy, know that there is the need for continual refinement and clarification of responsibilities. By having each and every employee understand the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of secure document shredding, your company can look forward to an organised, safe and secure future.

Small Business Secure Document Shredding

 

Alyssa, a 32 year old office worker had stayed back from work late one Friday night after an unprecedented amount of filing had hit her desk.

Exhausted and low on fuel, she pulled into the nearest service station on he drive home. She was going to fill up ahead of the weekend, withdraw some extra cash and indulge in her favour takeaway dinner along with her husband.

She approached the counter to pay, handed over her keycard and waited patiently as the attendant punched her request into the EFTPOS terminal. An unfamiliar ‘beep’ prompted her to view the screen where a ‘Declined’ message appeared.

Puzzled, she silently cursed her husband. He often made withdrawals on their account for bill-paying and reached the daily limit. This must’ve been the case. On a second attempt, she asked the attendant to cancel the cash out request and simply pay for the tank of petrol. Again, it was declined and she was forced to log in to her online banking as a queue of customers began to form behind her.

Once logged on, her balance may as well have slapped her in the face. It read $0.32. An account that only a week earlier was well into the tens of thousands of dollars. Something wasn’t adding up. Further investigation into her transaction records revealed that several withdrawals had been made from a handful of locations around Melbourne over the week. Alyssa lived in Sydney and neither her nor her husband (the only other card holder) had been interstate.

Frantically, being unable to pay for her fuel, she called her husband to collect her from the service station. The pair immediately called their bank and reported the stolen money after ascertaining that neither had lost or misplaced their cards.

After sharing their story (not to mention their bewilderment) with several friends and colleagues, Alyssa and her husband became aware that they were the victims of identity fraud. Alyssa’s husband, a small business owner, had recently booked a holiday for the couple through his work computer. He had left his wallet with his debit MasterCard inside at home one day, accidentally and called Alyssa for the details. He had written the information on paper, then disposed of it into the office recycling bin. Colleagues had said they’d heard horror stories of opportunists sifting through office documents in the hope for a jackpot like an individual’s bank details.

Identify theft is unfortunately a very real issue that affects millions of people every day. Small businesses and individuals are often the worst hit as they are unaware of the importance of secure document disposal, also known as shredding.

Small business secure document shredding is an investment in your livelihood as well as your security and peace of mind. At EShred, we offer certified document destruction and secure document shredding services.

EShred guarantees complete records destruction, bin supply and pickup service, as well as daily and weekly document destruction services.

In Alyssa’s case, the risk of identity theft would have been considerably reduced had her husband invested in the secure document shredding service that only Eshred can provide