Increase Personal And Professional Safety With Data Shredding?

Answer 1

Personal, confidential data surrounds most people in their work and home environments, leaving themselves and their businesses vulnerable when that data is discarded on physical media or on computer hard drives. Until businesses and individuals understand the importance of data shredding, they will continue to risk suffering damages from identity theft, corporate espionage, blackmail, civil and criminal proceedings and other unidentified or unknown threats.

Physical data shredding

The corporate dumpster or residential garbage can is a treasure trove for thieves. All it takes is a few minutes of rummaging and competitors can have a company's customer list, payroll report, project reports and other key information that they can use to steal customers and proffer winning bids. Even shredders purchased from big box office supply stores can be an ineffective deterrent to determined thieves with time on their hands and a roll of tape.

During the work day, while no one is at home, snoops, identity thieves, private investigator, government agents or anyone else can stop by and learn all about a person from rummaging through their trash. Bank statements, store receipts, phone bills, other papers and computer media such as CDROMS and flash drives are commonly tossed in the trash only to be mined by people with unknown motives.

Rather than taking chances with fate, businesses and individuals should segregate their physical data from their trash and schedule a secure data shredding service to come by periodically to pick up and permanently eradicate their physical data.

Electronic data shredding

Data forensic tools used by law enforcement, private investigators and thieves can easily recover multiple layers of deleted date from a typical hard drive leaving computer users vulnerable. Corporate data deleted long ago still lurks on the typical computer, just waiting to be uncovered. Similarly, individuals may have erased compromising photographs, emails and other records only to see them again in divorce or criminal court.

For security, electronic data should be shredded using special programs designed to eliminate all traces of deleted data from a hard drive. These tools software tools purchased for in-house use or a data security specialist can be hired to periodically scrub sensitive data from computers and network devices.

Use data shredding today

Business and individual users should formulate a data shredding plan today before their discarded and deleted data come back to haunt them.