by: Tom Hinz
It’s very common when one thinks of document destruction, the word “shredding” comes to mind. Most commercial workplaces or home offices have had, at one time or another, a strip-shred or cross-cut shredding machine in them. Depending on the need, one can be purchased for under $50 to well over $3,500. While these may do a fair job of shredding at times, the real question to consider is whether or not a bag full of recyclable paper particles at the end of the day, headed for the landfill, is the best-practice for your company’s data security and environmental mindedness?Commercial document destruction experts, like Integra, look at document destruction a little differently. We consider it more as a “process” that requires security standards at many different levels. For example, these would include advising you on how to securely collect and stage your confidential documents until we arrive. If needed, we provide secure containers because it’s never a good idea to expose your employees and your data unnecessarily. Next, is the paperwork for the transfer of custody in place and is there confidence in the transportation methods? Additionally, does the destruction itself “reasonably render the information practicably unreconstructable” as required by the US Federal Trade Commission? Finally, does the shredding vendor have a partnership in place with a reputable paper mill that will take the baled and comingled shredded paper, reduce it to cellulose fiber in a chemical bath and produce new paper products through controlled channels?
Should you choose to do business with us at Integra, we will offer you two types of service options: onsite, truck based or offsite,
plant based destruction. Both options are very secure and have their
respective benefits. Onsite allows the shredding to be done right at
your office or storage area. Many prefer this option and that’s why we
have a number of shred trucks in our fleet. For others who want
everything to be taken away expeditiously, the boxed and/or skidded
documents will be securely transported back to our large plant in
Elkhart in one of our box trucks or tractor trailer rigs, where
destruction begins almost immediately. Both alternatives are camera
monitored with strict standards in place, according to our NAID AAA
certification requirements.Pricing is usually quoted by the shredded pound, shredded box or shredded cart. Volume is perhaps the largest contributor that factors into the price, but it’s not the only consideration. For example, if we need to “muscle” your documents out of a basement or upper level, which we are equipped to do, there may be what we call a “non-ground floor removal fee” which is very reasonable. Depending on the distance required to travel to the site and back, there may be a “stop fee” and perhaps a small percentage fuel surcharge. For many of our customers we provide shred containers, such as stationary 36” consoles or rolling, locking 64 or 96 gallon shred carts, which add a layer of security in the workplace at weekly, every two, four, eight or twelve week service frequencies.
We discuss with you what I like to call “the essential particulars.” These might include appropriate schedule dates & times, staging suggestions, hours of operation-yours & ours, certificate of destruction signatures, invoicing & payment options and the disposition of your empty boxes. And, finally for our walk-in customers, we will always receive your smaller quantity of documents, M-F, 7:00AM-2:00PM at our plant which is located at 605 Mason Street in Elkhart. Please check us out at www.integrashred.com for more information.
Tom Hinz, Account Manager for Integra Certified Document Destruction
NAID “A Particle of Security”
January 6th, 2013
