Confidential shredding of proprietary documents is a must for businesses and individuals as well. For large corporations, generally a professional shredding vendor performs this task. Most businesses designate an employee to observe the actual shredding, insuring that all documentation is shredded and witnessed. Some shredding vendors insist upon this. Others don't. If this is an important, be sure it's included in the contract or work order. Allowing a mobile shredding vendor to haul away confidential documents doesn't necessarily insure that they will, in fact, be shredded.



Confidential shredding in certain industries is a top priority. Imagine clients submitting financial information to accounting firms. Both must agree on how financial information is disposed of. Also in various chemical, mechanical and architectural engineering companies where design is proprietary and based on client information, confidential shredding is critical. The same applies for environmental consultants, given the confidentiality agreements between consultant and client to dispose of obsolete state and local environmental compliance documents.

Confidential shredding for individuals is a significant consideration to avoid identity theft. The least expensive method of dealing with this is to purchase a personal shredder. However, there are differences in shredders. To the extent personal information has dollar value, determines the type of shredder an individual requires. There are two types of paper shredders: "Cross-cut", which cuts paper both length-wise and width-wise, insuring maximum security for confidential documents. Because the cuts are smaller, the volume of paper waste is decreased and the volume of paper shredded is therefore easier to dispose of. However, it should be noted that cross-cut paper shredders require more maintenance. These are generally preferable for more highly confidential documents where secure shredding is key.

The second type of shredder for confidential shredding is "Strip-Cut". With a strip-cut shredder, paper is cut shredded length-wise into strips, hence the name. With this type shredder, though, disposal is more frequent and not very compact. Unlike the cross-cut shredder, the strip-cut requires little or no maintenance.

Other features to be considered on confidential shredding are the number of pages that can be shredded at once. Check also the shredder manual as to whether the shredder also shreds other items like credit cards, CD-ROMs, DVD and stapled documents. The size of the shredder may also be important if space is an important consideration. And don't just throw away shredded paper. It can be safely used in differnt ways. If you're a handy crafter, it can be used in craft projects from pillow stuffing to making dolls. There are also several companies who purchase it at a reasonable rate.

Confidential shredding is an important routine task for offices and businesses of every size. It's the safest way to be sure that confidential document stay confidential.