Author: Crown Information Managment

Advice from a Certified Document Destruction & Records Management Company 

Businesses rely on documents to keep their doors open and customers happy. Records consist of financial statements, balance sheets, bank statements, customer information, patient information, legal files, etc. It can get quite overwhelming to manage the organization of all these records. Knowing what to keep and what to purge is very important. A records retention and destruction plan is the perfect solution to keep you compliant and avoid breaches of trust with your customers and clients. Working with a certified and reliable records management company will save you much frustration and give you peace of mind.

4 Reasons to Have a Records Retention and Destruction Plan

It doesn’t matter what size your company is. Each industry is different depending on the type of records you must store. Typically, you want to cover electronic communications, client correspondence, spreadsheets, employee records, contracts, healthcare information of patients, customer records, and financial documents. You need to keep the proper documents for specific periods and then destroy them. A good records retention policy will protect your company from legal problems. 

Here are four reasons to create or revisit your retention policy:

1. Save the company money. Your company can save money by regularly destroying records instead of maintaining storage on unnecessary files. Also, properly organized records will save you time and money in searching for a file you may need for legal or organizational reasons. You also avoid having to recreate documents because they are easily stored and ready for use.
2. Improves company decision-making. Sometimes, reviewing the previous year’s documents is helpful when making decisions for future years. This is especially true when reviewing public relations policies and marketing tactics. 
3. Maintain compliance. Each company is required to retain certain legal and official documents. Your business may face fines and penalties if you fail to do this. Having a retention policy aids your legal team with access to what they need. It also helps you when the tax man or other authorities come in for an audit.
4. Regulate who accesses the documents. Only some people in your office need access to each paper you have. Certain laws stipulate who should access specific information, as is the case for the healthcare industry. When you have well-organized records, you can ensure your departments only have access to what they need to do their jobs.

Protect Your Company with Help from Crown Information Management

Protecting your employees, clients, and your company takes many different forms. Today’s digital world requires a strong records retention and destruction policy. Crown Information Management can help. Our team understands the risks you face from poorly kept records. We are NAID AAA and PCI Certified, knowing what needs to be done and when. We can help with records storage and document destruction solutions to ease your mind and help you remain in compliance. Learn more when you call us today.

For timely destruction of documents, products, and hard drives, and secure, pest-free storage with a SOC1 Report,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company, call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545. You can also contact us online to learn more about our document storage and shredding services.

Helpful Suggestions from a Reliable Shredding Company 

Summer vacation season is upon us. Now is the time for employees to leave work and head out to fun destinations with their families. They have worked and waited for the best time to enjoy the sun and new adventures all year. They have also spent many days working hard and keeping track of records and documents, ensuring that things get shredded or stored correctly. This diligence shouldn’t stop because they are off the clock. Identity thieves will stop at nothing to get what they want and quickly undermine a family’s well-deserved time off. Before you or your employees head out for vacation, take steps to secure documents, and prevent identity theft.

Protect Crucial Documents with Professional Records Storage and Management 

Today’s storms and hurricanes are nothing like those of years gone by. It seems that with each passing year, they get stronger and more intense. When they hit the Florida shores, they wreak havoc on homeowners and businesses alike. Houses and buildings suffer incredible wind damage. The gale forces and flooding leave destruction in their path. Preparation before the event is crucial. Remember that part of preparing for a natural disaster is to secure your vital documents. A reliable records management company will not only be able to shred and recycle outdated documents, but they can securely store them as well. You can ride out the next storm knowing your business records are secure.

Stay Compliant with Document Destruction and Records Management 

Paper shredding is the process of destroying confidential or sensitive documents to prevent unauthorized access or use, such as in cases of identity theft. Many different businesses must follow the various regulations and laws governing paper shredding. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are two such examples. Because of these rules and regulations, it is important for companies to stay in compliance. A reliable document destruction and records management company can help you with all your paper shredding needs.

Advice from a Certified Document Destruction & Records Management Company 

The term data breach has become a standard phrase in our conversations. Yet, this generic term carries with it many meanings. When you think about a data breach, what comes to mind? A hooded figure in some dark room staring at a computer screen and typing furiously to hack into a system? The term is vague but generally means that secure or private information has been moved to an untrustworthy environment. The most surprising part is that, quite often, this movement of data isn’t intentional. Yes, it can be an unscrupulous hacker, but it can also be an employee going about their day with a touch of negligence or sheer naiveté. They may answer the wrong email or throw out paper documents instead of placing them in secure shredding bins.

Show Respect for Our Planet with Help from a Reliable Shredding Company 

The first Earth Day was in April 1970. This was before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act. In short, there was nothing concrete or regulatory in place to protect the environment. Then in the spring of 1970, Senator Gaylor Nelson’s idea was put in motion, forcing the nation to address environmental concerns. Many do not know that the paper shredder was first patented in 1909 and was based on a hand-operated pasta-making machine. By the 1930s, the first paper shredder was used to destroy anti-Nazi propaganda to avoid being caught by authorities—quite the exciting story!

Hire Professional Records Storage and Management Services 

The past few years have been a roller coaster for many – staying in place versus returning to the office. Several organizations decided that it didn’t have to be one or the other when it could be a bit of both.  Many employers and their teams learned that much of their jobs could be successfully handled remotely from their homes. This created a new dilemma. What about all those records being stored in semi-occupied office spaces? How do you keep all the financial and legal documents, including those with personally identifiable information, safe at all times? 

Professional Shredding Services Save Time and Money

Shredding laws are in place to protect consumers and companies. They ensure that documents and computers with sensitive information are appropriately handled. No one wants their personally identifiable information to fall into the hands of an identity thief. That is a recipe for disaster. Businesses must decide the best method for getting rid of confidential records and old computers. Some choose to shred their files in-house, believing it saves them money. Others understand the benefits of adequately disposing of documents through their local professional paper shredding company.

Shredding sensitive documents prevents thieves from stealing information that could put your company at risk. Dumpster divers look for anything that can give them a leg up in their illegal ventures. You don’t want to be the company with its reputation tarnished because of negligence that can be avoided easily. That is why it makes sense to use the services of a NAID AAA paper shredding company. They show up at your location, remove the tamper-proof shred bins, shred the documents onsite, and give you a certificate of destruction. They give you the peace of mind and confidence that any business documents with personal identifying information don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Friendly Reminder to Keep Recycling Costs Down

Since they make your job easier, why not do your part to ensure efficiency at every step? Document shredding companies rely on their clients to put the correct type of recycled material in the bins. Sometimes, things get mixed up. Items that do not belong in a paper shredder find their way in, and it can cause delays and even damage, which can lead to a higher cost of services. You can help by ensuring your team uses the shredding bins correctly.

A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place 

The primary use of shred bins is to safely store unwanted documents until your preferred document destruction company empties them. They are convenient and reduce worry about losing records unnecessarily. Here are some simple guidelines to ensure your team uses the receptacles properly:

Items that can go into the shred bin. Let’s start with what is allowed to be placed in the receptacle for document destruction, even if it has staples or paper clips:

• Confidential records
• Outdated printed files and forms
• Manila file folders
• Spiral notebooks
• Presentation papers
• Checks
• Payment copies
• Receipts
• Contact lists
• Employee records
• Strategy development plans
• Private correspondence
• Envelopes
• Official documents
• Medical records
• Boarding passes
• Financial records
• Any document with personally identifiable information (i.e., full name, Social Security Number, driver’s license number, mailing address, credit card number, etc.)
  

Items that should never go into the shredding bin. It shouldn’t go in with the shredding if it isn’t paper. Here are some classic examples of what not to mix with paper products:

• Masks – Most are made with petroleum-based, non-renewable polymers. They are non-biodegradable, meaning they are hazardous to the environment. They are considered contaminated material, which should never be placed in a shred bin.
• Batteries – If a battery leaks, especially one with lithium, it can cause a fire. Used batteries can overheat, catch fire, or explode. 
• Garbage – A recycling bin is for recycling only, not someone’s leftover lunch.  
• Syringes
• Glass
• Plastic
• Cans
• Cardboard tubes
• Ink cartridges
• Toner cartridges
• Hanging folders
• Nuts and bolts
• Hard drives
• Offices supplies such as hole punches and staple removers
• 3-ring binders
• X-ray film

Follow Best Practices with Your Document Destruction  

You can make the most of your shredding bins by placing in them all the paper documents you no longer need. Then talk to the team at Crown Information Management about options for destroying hard drives, electronics, office furniture, and x-ray films. We are here to meet your document destruction and records management needs. Learn more when you call us today. 

For timely destruction of documents, products, hard drives, and secure, pest-free storage with a SOC1 Level 2 Report,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company. Call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545 or contact us online to learn more about our document storage, destruction, and shredding services.