Confidential Documents Which Every Business Should Shred

In today’s business world, whatever your line of work it is more important than ever to protect your confidential data.

From employee records to financial documents, there are many types of documents that should be shredded securely to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

After the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018, which removed the cap on the fines which the Information Commissioner’s Office could issue, we have seen some of the biggest penalties for data breaches where companies have failed to protect customer data.

During 2020/2021, the ICO issued a record amount of £42m in fines, representing a 1580% increase from the previous year.

Technological changes in the way we do key tasks plus the shift to hybrid working has created new challenges for all businesses when it comes to data security and compliance.

ShredPro is a professional paper shredding company that offers secure, efficient and cost-effective shredding and recycling services all year round, wherever your staff are operating and in whichever sector.

We ensure customers achieve the highest standards in the industry to ensure maximum protection of your confidential information while helping the planet, recycling your shredding to reduce the demand for natural resources.

How we help

ShredPro issues a Certificate of Destruction on site, which means you are not waiting for confirmation that your confidential documents have been disposed and therefore no longer liable for them.

Our shredders are built into the vehicle and are 40x faster than your regular office shredder and 3x faster than some of our competitors, allowing us to dispose of your document in super quick time.

Why it matters

The Information Commissioner’s Office has the powers to enforce fines for breaches of data. The higher maximum amount for offences is £17.5 million or 4% of the total annual worldwide turnover in the preceding financial year, whichever is higher.

The ICO says:  “You must ensure that you have appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal data you hold.” The ICO adds: “Deleting records that you no longer need, or are not proportionate to retain any longer, is an essential part of a good records management system.”

Practical steps you can take

Regardless of your industry or sector, here is a list of confidential documents which every business should shred:

• Employee records: Regular sifts and reviews should ensure you cut the risk of data breaches by destroying documents such as payroll records, personnel files, and performance reviews. These documents contain sensitive personal information, such as National Insurance numbers and dates of birth, that could be used for identity theft or other crimes.
• Financial documents: Again, you should be regularly reviewing and shredding documents such as employee and customer bank details, bank statements, credit card statements, invoices and tax returns. These documents contain sensitive financial information that could be used for fraud or other financial crimes.
• Customer records: Given how hard it is to win then retain your customers’ business, make sure you keep their data safe by shredding documents such as customer lists, sales records, contracts and warranty information. These documents contain personal or identifying information about your customers that could be used for identity theft or other crimes.
• Legal documents: On an ongoing basis, review and shred documents such as contracts, agreements and the accompanying correspondence. You may have documents specific to your sector but for all industries these documents contain confidential information that could be used to harm your business if it fell into the wrong hands.
• IT-related material: Keep up to date by disposing safely of tech such as memory sticks, hard drives, legacy CDs and DVDs. All these files, particularly older material which has not been used in years, may contain sensitive data, such as passwords and credit card numbers that should be destroyed securely.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our shredding services. We are confident that you will be happy with our services.

“ShredPro have provided a reliable and professional shredding service, supplying neat containers that complement the existing office furniture. Monthly collections are carried out by friendly professional staff who collect and destroy all documents on site erasing any concerns we had regarding security. ShredPro provide a very proficient service and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them.”
Becki Morrow
BBC ALBA Broadcasting Corporation