Records Management Spring Cleaning Tips

“Spring cleaning” is usually associated with mopping floors, dusting furniture, and wiping windows, but it also an ideal time to get your records management program in order. Solid records management practices help your business decrease costs, reduce risks, and improve productivity. In this blog, we offer several records management spring cleaning tips.

1. Review Your Document Retention Policy

All businesses are required to keep documents for a certain period of time. Review your document retention guidelines to make sure you are following state and federal guidelines. If you do not already have a document retention policy in place, consult your attorney.

2. Purge Outdated Documents

Disposal of expired paper records is a critical part of an effective records management program. Besides wasting precious office space, holding on to documents longer than necessary increases your company’s exposure to identity theft and non-compliance fines. Hard copy files with personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) should never be discarded in trash and recycling bins.

A one-time purge solution offers secure, reliable, and efficient disposal of outdated paper records.

A trained, security-screened professional shredding technician collects your boxes and files, then shreds all material on-site at your office with a secure, mobile shredding vehicle. Upon completion of your purge, your shredding partner provides you with a Certificate of Destruction.

3. Destroy Unwanted Data

Use the same care when discarding old hard drives. A study released by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) found that 40 percent of used electronic devices sold on the secondhand market contained personally identifiable information (PII). Usernames, passwords, credit card data, tax details, and contact information was found on used hard drives, mobile phones and tablets analyzed in the study. Most importantly, the recovery process used to identify data on more than 250 devices required no advanced forensic training.

A hard drive destruction service makes sure your data is eliminated for good. Your hard drive shredding provider collects your hard drives and destroys them onsite at your place of business. Afterwards, you are presented with a Certificate of Destruction documenting your company’s compliance with state and federal privacy laws.

4. Plan Ahead

Do not wait until next Spring to address your records management program. Incorporating an ongoing scheduled shredding solution helps your business stay productive, secure, and compliant. Your shredding provider can deliver locked shredding containers to your office so your employees can discard sensitive documents with ease and confidence.

Apex Shredding serves Northern Colorado with information destruction solutions. To learn more about our services, please contact us at 970-532-5007 or complete the form on this page.