We’ve all been there before—finally taking the time to clean out the closet you’ve been neglecting for months. Depending on how long it’s been since your last closet clean out, it may take you all weekend to sort through what should be kept, donated, or thrown away. You might also find some items you thought were lost forever, like the hat you purchased on vacation last summer or your birth certificate. (Seriously though, it’s like they get up and walk away!)
Just like a closet filled with outdated and unnecessary items, your office records storage needs to be decluttered from time to time. But unlike those items from your closet, business records can’t just be thrown into a trash can.
Proper document destruction is essential to ensure that sensitive information is securely disposed of and that your business stays compliant with data protection regulations. Let’s review how to best clear out the clutter.
Whether stored in filing cabinets, desk drawers, offsite storage, or forgotten digital folders, old documents can create security, legal, and efficiency problems for your business.
Many industries are subject to strict regulations regarding data retention and disposal. Laws like HIPAA, FACTA, and GDPR require businesses to securely dispose of records after a certain period. Failing to do so can result in hefty fines and legal trouble—or worse, it can increase the severity of a data breach.
Consider this recent incident at the company, Blackbaud. The severity of a 2020 data breach was exasperated by the fact that Blackbaud had held onto sensitive data that should have already been destroyed according to their own data retention policies. Instead, that data was included in the breach.
On the flip side, holding onto documents past their required retention leads to a cluttered workspace and wasted resources. Filing cabinets filled with outdated records take up valuable real estate, making it harder to find important documents when needed. For documents stored offsite, how much are you spending per year to keep those outdated records in offsite storage? You may find significant savings by shredding offsite records due for destruction.
Join us for part two of our See Clearly webinar series, where we’ll explore best practices for organizing, classifying, and optimizing access to your physical and digital records.
Just like cleaning out a cluttered closet, businesses must regularly purge old files to maintain security, compliance, and efficiency. However, proper document destruction goes beyond simply tossing papers in the trash. To ensure sensitive information is securely disposed of, follow these best practices.
Many businesses focus on shredding physical documents but overlook digital records. Electronic files often contain just as much, if not more, sensitive information than their paper counterparts. If these files are not properly destroyed, they can pose significant security risks, leading to data breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage.
When it comes to digitally stored information, consider implementing these tips:
Not all shredding services are created equal. Choosing a vendor with NAID AAA Certification® ensures your documents are securely destroyed following the highest industry standards. To become NAID AAA Certified, data destruction companies must undergo:
By choosing a NAID AAA Certified company to destroy your information, you ensure that you meet due diligence requirements for vendor selection, which all data protection regulations mandate.
Be sure to get a certificate of destruction from your vendor following a shred service and securely store it where it can be retrieved easily.
A Certificate of Destruction is like a CYA (Cover Your Actions) document for your business—it provides official proof that you securely disposed of sensitive records, protecting you from legal trouble and compliance violations. If questions ever arise about how you handled sensitive information, this certificate serves as your safety net, showing that you took the right steps to properly destroy the data.
Records destruction should be a routine process, not a one-time event—just like regular office cleaning. A consistent shredding schedule is like tidying up your workspace every week, keeping things organized, secure, and compliant. Without it, paperwork piles up, creating unnecessary risks and inefficiencies.
On the other hand, a one-time purge is more like a deep clean—necessary from time to time but not a substitute for regular maintenance. While an annual or occasional file purge helps eliminate backlog, routine shredding prevents clutter from accumulating in the first place.
Take these steps to create an effective destruction plan:
By treating shredding as an ongoing task rather than a once-in-a-while cleanup, you reduce security risks, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance year-round.
Just like cleaning out a cluttered closet, regular document destruction should be part of your routine business practices to ensure a well-organized, compliant, and secure environment.
By reviewing both physical and digital records, partnering with a NAID Certified vendor, establishing a regular shredding schedule, and securing a Certificate of Destruction, you can ensure that your sensitive information is properly handled until the very end. And, just like that sense of satisfaction you feel after cleaning out your closet, the peace of mind that comes with knowing your documents are securely destroyed is priceless.
Don’t let outdated records pile up—start your routine clean-out with a quote from Access. Contact us to get started.
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