4 reasons why replacing ad-hoc shredding with regular shredding services could save you money

It’s fair to say that most businesses are aware of how important it is to dispose of confidential data securely and efficiently. It not only reduces the risk of a data breach but also complies with data protection laws. In fact, confidential shredding services are one of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s recommended measures for securing personal data.

Recognising the risks of in-house shredding

Many small businesses make do with an in-house shredding machine but realise very quickly that this can be an inefficient means of ensuring that all data is disposed of correctly.

It’s all too easy for staff to conveniently “forget” about the walk to the shredding machine and dealing with the stress of another paper jam. After the office bin starts to fill up with confidential papers, businesses will often decide to outsource their document shredding on an ad-hoc basis to a reputable shredding company.

If this sounds like you, we’d like to give you some food for thought. Here are 4 reasons why this ad-hoc approach to using one-off document shredding services could be costing you money.

Shred more, spend less

You know that you’ll always have confidential data that needs disposing of. Rather than stockpiling for the next visit from your shredding company, a regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly collection will save money in the long run. You’ll pay less for 12 monthly services than you would for 8 ad-hoc shredding sessions.

Increase shredding, reduce risks

While the eventual destruction of the documents will comply with the Data Protection Act, the longer the documents stay in the business, the more at risk they are. Your staff may drop their documents into locked storage bins but there’s every chance that they may just wait until “shredding day” before they clear their desk. If that’s a regular date, confidential data is less likely to be sitting on their desks for long periods of time. Above all, this could save you a hefty fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office as a result of a data breach, which could be up to £500,000.

More convenient, less to worry about

An irregular approach to shredding documents will no doubt result in a frenzied search for documents that are no longer needed, so that they can be added to the pile. The time spent on this will no doubt eat into a working day. With a regular, known shredding date, staff won’t have to worry about not knowing when their next opportunity will be to dispose of confidential documents.

So much more than paper

A regular visit from your shredding company means that they’ll be on hand should you need to dispose of anything more substantial than paper. Most professional shredding companies will offer hard drive destruction and disposal services.

If you’re an ad-hoc shredder, maybe it’s time to consider a regular shredding service. It keeps you compliant with data protection laws, reduces the risk of a data breach and, perhaps most importantly, could save you money.