The easy answer is “everyone!” That answer probably leaves you wondering what your business, or you personally, might be holding on to that would require secure destruction. Did you know that for businesses, any information that is considered to be “personally identifiable information” should be securely shredded and the destruction date logged? The secure shredding helps to protect your customers and employees, and the destruction certificates help to protect you.

So, what is personally identifiable information (PII)? It is defined as information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. According to The Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information published by the National Institute of Standards & Technology this can include information like:

• Full Names
• Addresses
• Social Security Numbers and Tax Identification Numbers
• Financial and Banking Records
• Credit Card or Billing Information
• Employment Information
• Medical Records and Information

As a business, you should certainly have a document retention policy in place for employee records, as many of those records contain information considered to be PII. If you are handling billing, taking orders, managing medical records, tax information, and more, taking the appropriate steps to ensure that your out-of-date documents, or files that are no longer in use are securely destroyed in a safe and timely manner.

As far as personal records are concerned, while you may not be legally required to securely shred your old financial records, out dated medical records, and the like, it is certainly to your benefit to shred documents that could lead to identity theft or cases of fraud down the road. Whether you are a business located in the Augusta, GA area or a resident of the CSRA, our team has a variety of secure shredding options to choose from. Need to shred a small box of personal records? Our walk-in shredding service provides a great solution for residents, while local business can choose from routine shredding service, schedule purges, or bulk purge shredding.

All of our options are backed by our NAID-AAA Certified secure shredding process, which helps to ensure your information is safe throughout the destruction process. After the records are destroyed the large batches of paper pulp are recycled to help keep paper waste out of our local landfills. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!

[Disclaimer: This article is not intended as legal advice. Should you need legal advice regarding document retention and secure shredding polices, please seek the appropriate legal counsel.]

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