03 November 2017 / Categories: Datashred News, Archive Shredding Services, Not Always Documents! When we think of shredding services, we often think about someone sitting next to a shredding machine pushing documents through until they resemble hamster bedding. But have you considered the other things that need to be destroyed in a safe and secure manner? Other confidential waste that has to be taken care of? Consider how you dispose of your confidential waste. Confidential Document Disposal Most companies have printed confidential data, whether that is the HR details of current and past employers, client confidential information or even supplier confidential data, and it has to be taken care of correctly in order that you comply with the ever evolving UK data protection laws. Leaving your staff to shred paper can be open to mistakes, which could potentially be costly for larger organisations. So it is important to consider firstly the value of the data, and secondly how much it would cost your company if that data was to get into the wrong hands. Is the cost of employing the services of a shredding company viable against the cost of a court case against your company, and the cost of the negative brand awareness if this happened? Confidential Hard Drive disposal When you are looking to replace your company computers, your laptops, tablets and your business phones, are you confident that you have wiped the device clean? We can help. We can ensure your hard drives are data free by firstly wiping the data entirely by using a degaussing method, and then shredding the hard drive into unusable pieces so that nothing at all is retrievable. What is degaussing? Degaussing is the process of removing unwanted data stored on media such as computer, laptop and tablet hard drives and the like. Using a powerful magnetic field the magnetic data is erased and we use the right degausser to guarantee that your information is no longer retrievable. Other places data hides Data can also be held on business credit cards, CD ROMs, DVDs, X-rays microfiche records, audio tapes or even old VHS cassettes, and it is your organisation's responsibility that this information and data is securely deleted. Branded Items Although branded items don’t necessarily scream data, it is important to remember the investment that goes into a brand and how easily something can devalue a brand. In addition to this, there is the security risk of someone having a uniform and easily gaining access to your building and that of your clients, simply through Brand recognition. From product prototypes and old stationery to supplies of obsolete branded clothing or even damaged and scruffy items, they should all be destroyed with consideration and care. A story we heard... A company who asked for a security firm to test their security from start to finish, was breached at the the first step when the security firm wore a yellow hi-vis jacket and a white hard hat and asked the receptionist to be allowed in to sort the pipes. Imagine if that had been a branded hat or jacket? What damage could that have done to that Brand? Let alone the damage that could happen once the breach was made if that was a customer. ID’s In addition to branded clothing, when a staff member leaves, their ID’s, access cards etc are handed back, but are they wiped from your systems, and more importantly are those ID’s then destroyed? After all, we have all seen it when an ID doesn’t work and the security guy simply looks at it and lets the person in. You just have to look at how many student cards are out there, still gaining that 10% discount in the local shops, when the students left three or four years ago! If you are interested in our Data Shredding Services or would like to find out more about the other services Restore Datashred offer, then contact us. We look forward to hearing from you. Print Tags: shredding services