For SMBs - Secure Document Disposal Isn t Science Fiction by Pete Lorenco

In Isaac Asimov's science fiction classic, Foundation Trilogy, secure and reliable document disposal was no problem at all.The most sensitive documents arrived in Personal Capsules, uniquely keyed to the recipient. Once opened, the document was readable for a few seconds. Then, like a paper version of a Snapchat message, it turned to ashes and was gone.

Indeed, in Foundation Trilogy even the ordinary circular file was a reliable disposal device. Anything dropped into a wastepaper basket was disintegrated, right down to the atomic level the ultimate shredder.

Asimov never said what happened if someone chucked a document into the basket, then tried to grab it.

Reality Check

In real life, our wastepaper baskets are safer. But they are not as reliable for disposing of documents that have reached the end of their life cycle. For small and midsize businesses (SMBs), this can be a real and serious concern. Sooner or later, nearly every paper document reaches the end of its life cycle.

At that point it can and should be disposed of. Many papers can simply be thrown away, but many others should not be. Their life cycle has expired, but they still contain sensitive information and both criminals and business competitors have been known to dumpster-dive in search of valuable or potentially damaging information.

Secure Disposal

Shredders sold in office-supply stores are not sufficient. They are a pain to use and often, SMBs don't always

shred what they need to as a result. Moreover, they preserve no record of what has been disposed of leaving doubts that can surface in costly legal discovery actions.

Large organizations can provide their own secure document disposal. SMBs, however, can use a professional helping hand. Truly secure shredding of expired documents involves multiple steps and specialized resources. Documents slated for disposal must be recorded, with a chain of custody to show that they were, in fact, destroyed. They must be securely transported to a disposal site, and securely destroyed.

The good news is that these services are available, at an affordable price. And once expired documents have been securely and reliably disposed of, everyone can breathe easier.

LINK:	http://blog.ironmountain.com/2013/service-lines/secure-shredding/for-s...
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