If anyone of you lives in the same world as I do, I am pretty sure you come across just as many papers each day as I do (if not more). There’s so much paperwork involved in everyday life and transactions that it not humanely possible to trace all the papers you are supposed to keep safe and secure, and those which you’d never need again, and those which you might need every now and then. Then there are those too which you’ve to keep as carefully as possible, even though there’s no chance of needing them ever again but you do not want them to land in the wrong hands. Sure much of it has gone digital by now, but pretty much is still on paper, mostly for all businesses.
Most reputed companies have a policy of destroying all information and papers once the purpose is served and that I believe is a pretty healthy practise to follow to ensure privacy. That sure can be done manually but there are always chances of the bigger torn pieces to divulge information and so technology has for you a document shredder.
What then is a Document Shredder?
The device that shreds into pieces any documents inserted in it. Oh yes! It’s meant for destroying all those important files you didn’t know where to keep safe. Most offices use ot to destroy sensitive information and even bank statements, cheques, receipts, medical records and even multimedia disks like floppy disks and CD-ROMs. The shredding can be general or intense depending on how well you want the information to be destroyed.
How does it work?
Now since it shreds it most definitely has blades, mostly rotating blades, a motor and a paper comber. The documents are fed to the blades and are shred into pieces due to the speed and pressure of the blades. These pieces are then contained in containers (in expensive shredders or are disposed around in the cheaper ones.
Methods of Shredding
The document shredder can shred variously among the ultra security cut, the crosscut and the strip cut. The strip cut is mostly used to shred bulk paper into thin vertical strips, cross cut shreds the paper in a crisscross pattern whereas the ultra security cut destroys the most confidential information such that it is impossible to recover.
Features of a Document Shredder
Companies mostly decide onto the shredding method according to standards set by the department of defence or the state government, more so in the USA. Since the paperwork is mostly in bulk, some aspects need to be considered carefully when zeroing in on a document shredder.
Durability: Every device has its life, and that of document shredder depends on whether it is made of plastic or metal. The plastic shredder in case of overuse gets weathers easily and might not last too long.
Security: All document shredders shred differently, you must choose according to sensitivity of the information you need to destroy. Wide strips may sometimes be put together by shrewd minds to recover information, it is thus important that you choose a shredder that emits possibilities like these specially if your information is confidential.
Different uses of Document Shredders: While some document shredders are limited to paper, others might help destroy other important materials like CDs, plastic films, ID cards, floppy disks,, microfiche, key tapes as well as other confidential media.
Dust: With the bulk of paper involved there is increased possibility of rusting and accumulating dust on the device. Shredders thus must have internal vacuums to make sure the factors don’t act detrimental in the durability of the device.
Noise: Document shredders must be first checked and then bought for some make a great amount of noise while shredding while others might be missed with the drop of a pin. You may not like a paper shredder’s noise all day, unless it’s music to your ears.
With these aspects well considered, you’ve to be sure that you are smarter than the identity thief. Shredding is a must, and choosing the right type of shredding an absolute must too. So get there and choose what’s best for you.
We at InConfidence will make sure that your confidential information remains in confidence. You might need help, and we’d be glad to help.
