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2.  Confidential waste is a term that is likely
foreign to most people, yet it is of the
utmost importance to many businesses. In
fact, there’s a very good chance that you
and almost everyone you know has a
much closer tie to confidential waster than
you know.

3.  Confidential waste refers to any sensitive
information that a business has in its
possession. This information might be as
part of paper files, digital files, CDs or any
other form that stores data.
 A business may have confidential waste on its
new, high tech computer system or in stacks
of old paper files collecting dust in a
storeroom. Wherever it is, it’s extremely
important that it’s kept confidential and
protected.

4.  It’s natural to think of personal information
about clients and customers as the type of
confidential waste that needs protecting, but
there’s a lot more to it than that. That’s not to
say that the personal data or financial
information about customers isn’t important
because it certainly is. It just means that
there’s a lot more to the confidential waste
picture.
 At the executive level of the business, you
may have legal contracts, strategic forecasts
or important correspondence that needs
protecting. If your business has an R & D
department, information regarding new
products, specifications or formulas, recipes
and plans may be vulnerable.

5.  Sensitive information about your employees is likely part of the
human resources filing system. This may include performance
reviews, payroll information, medical records and discipline reports
or treatment programs certain employees have used.
 In accounting, there are budget schedules, payroll statements,
information on suppliers and customers and different internal reports.
The sales and marketing department has contracts, advertising
strategies, training information and sales goals. More training
information can usually be found among the information that deals
with operations, not to mentions sensitive manuals and company
processes.
 Virtually every area of a business is bound to contain sensitive
information and confidential waste that needs to be protected for the
business to continue operating at an optimum level.

6.  Considering the level of importance that goes along with keeping
confidential waste confidential, enlisting the help of an outside
business is the most efficient and effective way to go about it.
 A reputable document shredding company specializes in destroying
sensitive documents in all forms, using the most secure methods
possible.
 The key is to never allow anyone the opportunity to get their hands
or eyes on the information until it is destroyed.
 Top document shredding companies will come into your business
and place all of the files that are slated for destruction into a locked
box or console. This way, no one who has access to the building is
able to get to the files that you want kept private.

7.  When the time arrives for shredding, a rep from
the shredding company will unlock the box and
take your files to an on-site shredder. This often
takes place inside a truck that’s parked outside
your business.
 The shredding is confidential and done in such a
way that it will never be possible to reconstruct
the files. You can also choose to have the
confidential waste removed from the business
and destroyed elsewhere, but many business
managers and executives feel more at ease
when they know the information never left the
premises in its original form.
 Once the job is complete, you should receive a
certificate or other written documentation stating
what was destroyed. You’ll receive the same
kind of written certificate if you had digital files or
a hard drive destroyed instead of paper.

8.  The ‘how’ of keeping confidential waste confidential is
valuable information for any business, but many people also
want to know the ‘whys’.
 Identity theft is one ‘why’ that many people are familiar with,
but once again, there’s more to it than that. Identity theft is a
serious problem that typically consists of someone either
stealing information in order to clean out your savings or
borrow your identity to take out loans and credit.
 If you’re really unlucky, an identity thief may go out and
commit crimes using your identity. Once the personal
information is gathered, it doesn’t take much for a skilled
identity thief to put together acceptable pieces of identification
with his picture and your data.
 Complying with privacy laws is another important reason that
a business wants to keep confidential waste confidential.
More and more regions and jurisdictions are passing
legislation that deals with the document destruction end of
privacy.
 Not complying can result in strong penalties, which will end up
causing damage to most businesses. One of the benefits of
signing up with a good shredding service is that they will
worry about the laws, so you can focus on running the
business.

9.  The security of your business is another big ‘why’ when it comes to keeping
the confidential waste confidential. Just sit back for a moment and imagine
if all of the private business information that exists about your company was
to get into the hands of a competitor or someone trying to cause harm to the
business. Every business has proprietary information of some kind, not to
mention all the financial information, contracts, reports and other data.
 In a sense, the very existence and future of your business could depend on
how you choose to deal with the confidential waste issue. It may seem a bit
dramatic to put it that way, but if one of your clients has his or her identity
stolen or some top-secret company information gets out, you could be
looking at serious trouble. If prospective clients and even current clients feel
that their information isn’t safe, they will form a long line of people that take
their business elsewhere.
 Of all the areas you may want to cut corners in your business operations,
the destruction of your confidential waste can’t be one of them. Take the
time to look for a good company, set up a schedule and then let them do
their job, so you can do yours.