In today’s digital age, data holds immense value, offering insights into consumer behaviors and preferences. Yet, amidst its benefits, personal data also attracts malicious intent from identity thieves and fraudsters who exploit it for nefarious purposes. However, there’s a reliable ally in the fight against data breaches: document shredding. Understanding the Value of Data Personal data empowers businesses to stay competitive and tailor their offerings to meet customer demands. However, it’s also a prime target for identity thieves who exploit it for fraudulent activities. These criminals ope ..read more

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Oh, to be a fly on the wall”? It refers to the desire to witness the unseen, to know what’s happening behind closed doors. Well, consider this your backstage pass—we’re taking you on a journey through the various stages of a shredding service. Get ready to be that fly on the wall and discover the ins and outs of this crucial process. Why Choose a Shredding Service in the First Place? Let’s start with the big question: Why go for a shredding service at all? The answer to this question unravels the purpose behind every step in the shredding process. Shredding isn ..read more

On February 2, 2024, as Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow takes center stage for some, it also marks the end of Tax Identity Theft Week—a period that sheds light on critical lessons we all need to heed. Beyond the folklore surrounding Groundhog Day, this week underscores the importance of safeguarding our tax identities in an era where cyber threats loom large. Let’s delve into the crucial insights gleaned from observing this important week. Understanding Tax Identity Tax identity is the linchpin in the government’s efforts to collect taxes. Every eligible taxpayer is assigned a unique nine-digit Tax ..read more

You’ve made the decision to outsource your document shredding, whether to ensure compliance with privacy regulations or as a cost-effective solution that allows your staff to focus on essential business functions. During your research on the best shredding company, you may have come across the term “plant-based shredding.” This article aims to demystify plant-based shredding, detailing what it is, how the process works, and its associated benefits. What is Plant-Based Shredding? Also known as off-site shredding, plant-based shredding involves a company collecting your secure documents and tran ..read more

Ever played the game, Two Truths and a Lie? In this group activity, each person shares two unknown but true things about themselves and then makes up one that isn’t true. The rest of the group then attempts to guess which one was the lie. It’s a great game to discover fun accurate facts about each other. With nearly-instant sharing of information via the internet, it doesn’t take a game to quickly spread misinformation. Fortunately, you can also fact check information. Having been in the shredding industry since 1956, we’ve heard it all. Have you heard any of these myths and misconceptions? Sh ..read more

Problems and Solutions for Paper-Based Information Theft Problems Identity theft has been increasing rapidly over the past decade. The likelihood of becoming a victim is uncomfortably high: An identity theft case occurs every 22 seconds. 33% of Americans have faced some form of identity theft at some point in their lives. Even in our digital age, paper documents are a valuable resource for criminals. Too often, tossing documents into the recycling bin or trash can is the source of a data breach. Many Americans are unaware of the likelihood that their information can be lost or stolen at any ..read more

Astonishing Facts About 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated daily. There are currently over 44 zettabytes of data in the digital universe. Only 10% of that data is unique while the remainder is replicated. If you were to download all the data from the internet, it would take 181 million years. Your company’s entire data content may only be a tiny fraction of that, however, you are still responsible for the security of any part that contains Personally Identifiable Information (PII). This includes any data drives that have come to the end of their useful life and are ready for disposa ..read more

Myth Busters When I was a kid, we often played Monopoly, the most-popular board game in the world. For years, we followed the rule that fees were always paid to the middle of the board, and that landing on the Free Parking space meant you had won that stash of cash. It took a lot of convincing for me to believe that the Free Parking payout was a myth that had been handed down from relatives and friends. That realization was a “game changer” for me. According to the dictionary, a myth is a widely-held, but false belief or idea. Have you ever wondered whether some of the HIPAA-compliance rules y ..read more

Simplified Definition A Certificate of Destruction is a document so simple it may seem unimportant. If we define each word in the phrase, it looks like this: Certificate: A document containing a certified statement, especially as to the truth of something. Destruction: The state or fact of being destroyed or put out of existence. When these words are combined, they define a document that proves your compliance with state and federal data privacy laws. Frequently-Asked Questions 1. What is a Certificate of Destruction? For all businesses that generate private information, a Certificate of De ..read more

To Be or not To Be Whether it be love, a circumstance, or an opportunity that comes or goes, many of us feel that no matter our preference, what happens is what was “meant to be.” Earth Day was created in 1969 to bring wider public consciousness to our degradation of the environment and served as a call to action for everyone to play a part in conservation. When I consider the relationship between Earth Day and shredding, to me, it’s obvious that they were meant to be. But I also know that this dynamic duo’s relationship is hardly common knowledge, so let’s examine how they are connected. Rec ..read more