In celebration of EARTH DAY 2019, the city of Waltham Recycling Department will be hosting a free Recycling & Collection Event on Saturday, April 20th at Nipper Maher Park (65 Dartmouth St) for Waltham residents, MA. Bring your old tax returns, bank/credit card statements, ATM receipts, used airline tickets and/or medical bills. Shred your personal information to protect your identity. A1 DATASHRED will shred your documents.

Waltham residents can bring up to 4 banker boxes (12x15x10) of document to shred for FREE.

Fraud takes place in all forms and variations, and unfortunately it does not discriminate in relation to the size of businesses often targeted. Whether you are a small business or large corporation, fraudulent cases occur in workplaces of all types. Particularly, such cases may refer theft, forgery, computer crime as well as other “white collar” crimes. If your business becomes the victim of such an incident, it can result in devastating consequences.

So what can you do as a business owner to reduce the probability of fraud in your workplace?

Below are simple, but very effective practices you should consider implementing if you haven’t already:

• Create an Anti-fraud Policy and Be Sure it’s in Writing

Establishing an atmosphere in your workplace that is based on honesty and integrity shows employees that you care and are taking preemptive measures to limit chances of fraud. It is wise and recommended to put any policies regarding ethical behavior in written form; this ensures that each employee is thoroughly aware and understands what the fraud policies entail, and the penalties associated with breaking them.

• Offer an Anonymous Source for Tips

Provide an easy and accessible means for your staff to report any suspicions or tips surrounding fraudulent behavior. It’s necessary that everyone is aware of this procedure and the fact that they are encouraged to come forward with any concerns. It is estimated that the bulk of fraud that takes place (more than 50%) is in fact reported by employees. As a business owner, you should always give your full attention to any tips/advice you receive from your team.

• Perform Background Checks

For the safety of your employees and business, it’s imperative that part of your hiring approach involves detailed background checks to screen staff. This is especially critical for those taking on “risky” positions, like a financial role, or one that involves access to personal information, such as a customer service role.

• Implement a Secure, Document Shredding Program

Place collection bins or consoles next to each desk or provide a central and easy to access, collection area for old documents requiring shredding. In doing so, your employees can easily rid of sensitive material securely and quickly, keeping desks from becoming overcluttered and messy. These bins should remain locked until your shredding provider comes to your location to empty them. A document shredding program keeps your confidential information secure from prying eyes.

At A1 DATASHRED our experienced team will provide you with document management solutions that encourage a secure and organized work environment. Feel free to reach out to us for additional direction in relation to our document shredding services, where a representative will come to your location and shred all documents on-site right before your eyes.

Call 1-888-95-SHRED

Office shredders are a common item found in many office settings across the country. As information theft and fraud become increasingly more concerning today, more companies are taking measures to shred old sensitive files in hopes to protect themselves from such risks, and we are encouraged to see this. The results of identity theft and fraud can be extremely damaging to any business, but especially smaller ones or start-up businesses. What many aren’t aware of however, is that the office shredder they think is assisting with securing their information, may be causing more harm than good as it turns out.

Why? The biggest issue with an office shredder is that the shredding produces strips of paper that can very easily be put back together if discovered by the wrong person with the intent to put the pieces back in place. They simply do not do a thorough job of shredding records so that they are unrecoverable. The information you thought was destroyed by your office shredder, could be entirely accessible which leaves you vulnerable. While there are more advanced office shredders that can do a more efficient job of shredding your material, they still lack several advantages in comparison to a professional document shredding company like A1 DATASHRED.

 No Certificate of Destruction

 In-house shredding services aren’t backed by legal certification for back-up proof. Professional shredding services carefully record each shredding job and provide customers with a Certificate of Destruction at the end of each service. This certificate guarantees the quality of destruction and provides physical evidence that the destruction occurred by industry experts, trained to do so. Without such proof of destruction, customers lack a means to prove shredding was performed in line with critical privacy legislation (such as FACTA and HIPAA), and this can lead to a problematic situation if and when an audit takes place.

Unreliable and Poor Monitoring

Document shredding services provided by a professional company like A1 DATASHRED , go to great lengths to keep a close eye on their shredding process. This strict approach is carried out so that the quality and security of these services is guaranteed. The biggest reason for monitoring the shredding process from beginning to end, is to verify that all document shredding specialists are performing each step with the protection of client privacy in mind, and so that protocols are not being breached. Poor monitoring can lead to protocols being broken throughout the destruction process, or in some cases, documents not reaching the shredder at all! Monitoring is very important in relation to quality of service, and professional shredding services do not take this responsibility lightly.

Proper Employee Training

 Many businesses don’t place too much emphasis on their shredding operations and how they are completed, and only some are confident enough in their employees to have the shredding executed in-house, of course as mentioned this comes with risks. Given the importance of the documents that are being shred it is imperative that whoever is handling the shredding of your information is trustworthy and properly trained. Professional shredding services go to great lengths to ensure that employees receive ongoing industry training, are up to speed on any chances in procedures, and are completing tasks according to protocol.

Is Your Business Making Document Shredding a Priority?

For many businesses, the costs of maintaining a shredding machine and properly trained and monitored operating team are too high to justify. Indeed, it is not cheap to own, maintain and properly operate a professional document shredder.

Many businesses in Boston opt instead to put their trust into A1 DATASHRED for professional document destruction needs. Whether you need regular shredding, or just have a one-time purge to be had, our expert team ensures that your documents are destroyed securely. Choose from both on and off-site to fit the scheduling and budgetary needs of your business.

If you feel it’s time to improve your approach to document security, consider outsourcing your shredding needs to an experienced and trustworthy business like us! Now is the time to be proactive and protect your most valuable business asset; information!

Get in touch with us today! Call 1-888-95-SHRED