Searching to Destroy

As technology and access to personal information increase, so does a company’s risk for costly security breaches. When it comes to personal identity theft, in addition to losing consumer trust, studies show that a company could waste 1,600 hours per incident and up to $92,000 per victim to resolve the problem. Non-compliance penalties are rising, and the government often holds executives liable, along with the company, making data protection a critical issue.

Georgia-based Recall is a global leader in document storage, data protection and document destruction solutions. We are NAID (National Association for Information Destruction) and PCI (Payment Card Industry) certified and employ Six Sigma green- and black-belt professionals to validate processes and procedures and the cost impact of our services. It’s our business to keep apprised of the latest trends in document destruction so we can protect our clients.

Here are the four key trends we are currently following:

1. More Stringent Regulations and Legislation

Since the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, followed by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act and, most recently, the Federal Trade Commission’s Red Flags Rule, we are inundated with regulations. And that trend shows no sign of slowing down.

Nevada and Massachusetts have enacted state regulatory acts to further protect personal information through encryption. Forty-five other states have enacted data breach legislation. Keeping up with the latest regulations and legislation is essential.

2. The Popularity of Shred-All Programs

Our larger, more sophisticated clients with multiple locations are requesting shred-all programs in lieu of separating sensitive from non-sensitive documents. This takes the risk out of the employees’ decision-making process.

At a top 10 financial institution, we found that many employees didn’t recognize the scope of documents that can be used for identity theft. They also were spending too much time deciding what to throw out and what to keep. We proposed that they destroy everything to take the guesswork out of it. This solution freed up their time and ensured that everything that needs to be destroyed is.

Because shredded paper often times is sent to paper mills to be de-inked and re-pulped, shred-all programs can be marketed as an asset to the environment and it eliminates the need for a customer to set up a separate office paper recycling program.

3. A Preference for Off-Site Destruction

Instead of on-site, or mobile, destruction, more clients are requesting off-site destruction of their business information. The benefits associated with off-site destruction are that it’s less expensive, safer for the environment and can be more secure.

Companies no longer have to assign one of their employees to stand outside to verify that the company’s confidential material is shredded on-site. Noise and pollution are significantly reduced when companies opt for off-site shredding. And clients still receive a certificate of destruction and a sense of assurance through a closed-loop process.

4. Non-Paper Media Destruction

With the proliferation of non-paper media, such as flash drives, hard-disk drives and magnetic tapes, we are exploring the most secure, safe and cost-effective ways to destroy them.

What Every Company Should Know

Destruction sales professionals can stress the following tips when calling on prospective clients that do not have information destruction programs in place: 1. All businesses have information that requires destruction. 2. Stored records should be destroyed on a regular schedule. 3. Incidental business records discarded on a daily basis also should be protected. 4. Recycling is not an adequate alternative for information destruction. 5.  A certificate of destruction does not relieve a company of its obligation to keep information confidential. Sponsored Content SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler). 6. Internal company personnel should not be responsible for the destruction of certain information. 7. Information protection is a vital issue to senior management in light of recent regulations.

These forms of media have the potential for tremendous damage if they end up in the wrong hands. For example, one magnetic tape can hold as much data as a 53-foot trailer full of documents.

Recall has partnered with several national organizations within the financial industry on Six Sigma projects using our IMPACT (Implement through Action, our company-wide program to identify ways in which we can improve our services and solutions) team to explore opportunities to modify or amend internal security policies. These policies include off-site destruction through our comprehensive, closed-loop chain of custody procedures; employee education programs to reduce risk through implementation of shred-all programs; and a bin rightsizing exercise to identify appropriate bin count, bin size, bin placement and service frequency. These policies are designed to reduce significant risk and liability and to enhance overall service performance.

We provide security throughout the entire collection and destruction process. Our procedure consists of a closed-loop system that begins with secure bins at our clients’ locations. Our transport vehicles, known as rolling vaults, are company owned and feature Babaco locking systems and GPS and are environmentally friendly. Our security service representatives are fully screened, trained and insured. Each destruction center has intruder alarm systems, video surveillance and CCTV. Some of our facilities offer biometric access through fingerprint or vascular scanning.

Businesses are looking at bundling their information management needs with one provider who has the capabilities to handle not just their secure destruction needs but also their document management and data protection needs, or the entire life cycle of a document. As companies become more knowledgeable regarding potential risk and liability, they are expecting a provider to develop innovative and creative methods to enhance security practices and products.