With much information viewed online, some relevant and often confidential hard copy content continues to be printed for sharing and review. The ability to destroy this confidential information as quickly as it’s created is essential.

The most secure form of document destruction is typically achieved through methods that ensure the complete and irreversible destruction of the document's content. Just about everyone who actively performs document destruction takes this matter seriously to secure their confidential information against data breach and exploitation.

Be it shredding papers yourself or by a document destruction service, it’s an important issue that requires 100% error free secure destruction in a sustainable manner. The best protective measure against identity theft and information breach is to incorporate technologies that instantly destroys your papers with minimal friction.

When no longer required, the destruction of hard copy information at the office or home is an important issue to act on without delay. Clearly, no other form of document destruction in your home or office can match the speed of a paper shredder to instantly destroy information at the source and with unmatched convenience.

Another reassuring and major advantage of having a paper shredder is your information’s chain of custody remains at the source, your sensitive data is never at the hands of a third party such as an industrial document destruction service.

Cross-cut P-4 shredders or micro-cut P-5, P-6 and P-7 high security shredders are considered more secure than strip-cut shredders. Cross-cut and micro-cut shredders turn documents into small, confetti-like pieces, making it extremely difficult to reconstruct the original content. Some shredders are even equipped with features like pin code door locking and anti-tampering measures to enhance security.

One security risk often overlooked is time. While confidential documents no longer required remain un-shredded, these are an information security risk until shredded.

While shredding is the first choice of the most secure document destruction method, the sensitivity of the information, regulatory requirements, and the resources available need to be considered when choosing the most suitable security level and size of shredder. For extremely sensitive or classified materials, sometimes multiple methods of physical destruction (e.g., shredding and burning) may be employed. Additionally, organizations should follow legal and regulatory guidelines when handling and destroying sensitive documents, especially when they may contain personal or confidential information.