With so many people working from home and transitions back to the office, the likelihood of data being compromised is greater than ever. That means it’s important to understand how to protect data from hackers and prying eyes. Although there is some data protection in the cloud, knowing the best practices for keeping things confidential and properly disposing of data makes a difference.

One of the most effective ways to prevent identity theft is to shred any documents that have identifying information on them – even if it’s just an address. You can take that two steps further by scanning documents as you receive them, then putting the documents in a locked shred box for safekeeping until we can come to pick them up.

Making sure you have yourself on a decluttering schedule is important if you’re big on getting things purged by the end of the year. While most people don’t even consider document destruction as a declutter home tactic, it makes a difference. If you have a lot of paperwork at home and don’t want to go out to a facility or don’t have the capacity to shred it all on your own, a mobile shredding service may be just the thing for you.

Shredding services can be a great way to unclutter your office without causing a security risk. All across the country, the temptation of stealing valuable information is strong. Some people want to cause havoc by undoing the system, some crave wealth, others target a specific individual. No matter why someone might want to get their hands on your documentation, having the right disposal services can make a difference. We'll look at five advantages of mobile shredding services, so you have a better idea of what you're signing up for. 

A Certificate of Destruction certifies in writing that your documents were destroyed in compliance with the laws that apply in your state or industry. Certificates of destruction can be especially helpful when: 

It’s easy for shredding to take a back burner to other organizational initiatives, but it’s critical to develop policies, procedures, and practices that support organizational and client security. Proprietary business information and confidential client information – like credit card numbers and social security numbers – leave organizations every day in the form of paper waste. This information can quickly land in the hands of ill-willed criminals, looking to steal priority information or compromise the security of your clients by hacking into their bank accounts or stealing their identity.  A carefully considered document destruction policy can help you mitigate risk, protect your assets, and provide your clients with the privacy the expect and deserve from your organization. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

All businesses have confidential information they need to protect. Once you no longer need to keep a client’s files, you have to find a way to destroy them – as long as the client doesn’t want his or her file – and do it securely. A regular strip shredder is definitely not secure enough since a criminal can put the strips back together. And, if the strips are not narrow enough, big chunks of confidential information is readily visible.

Identity theft can wreak long-term havoc on individuals and business owners alike.

Clutter. Few of us can get away from it. There always seems to be something that we're holding to and some reason to keep it. Whether it's because you don't know if you'll ever need it again or because you have some sort of sentimental attachment to it, the reality adds up to a lot of stuff that really doesn't need to crowd your home. But while it might not be easy to get rid of your old jeans from high school, it seems less likely that you've formed the same sort of emotional bond to your tax records. If you're tired of opening a file cabinet and feeling like it's exploding in unorganized madness every time tax season rolls around, see how you can start to clear it up with the help of mobile shredding. 

Which records should you keep for tax purposes, and how long should you keep them? The question causes confusion every year during tax season, in part because so many different rules apply.