Paper shredders come in a wide variety of security levels, and are thus suitable for a great many different needs. You can buy a basic paper shredder to simplify recycling, saving space in your bin for the smaller scraps. You may obtain a mid-level shredder to have peace of mind when disposing of business documents; this way, no one can come across and read your documents if they go through your trash.
But for some industries, engaging in secure paper shredding is not a decision which is to be made casually — it is an absolutely essential step which must follow very specific protocols. The following two domains require highly advanced shredders, which render documents extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct.
Government agencies
When most people think of secure paper shredding, high-security government operations are likely the first thing that comes to mind. Indeed, the National Security Agency (NSA) / Central Security Service (CSS) have a special designation for paper shredders that meet their astronomically high standards: the lofty P-7 security level. Shredders with this level of security have been deemed appropriate for use by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Military, the Department of Defense, and matters concerning national security.
However, it is not just these high-profile, sensitive operations that need secure paper shredders. All government agencies must at least use shredders which are compliant with the TAA, or Trade Agreement Act. This compliance guarantees that data will be destroyed with sufficient thoroughness that its reconstruction is highly unlikely, and would require very advanced equipment.
Medical providers
Working in the medical profession involves dealing with a massive amount of patient data. This is one of the strengths of modern medicine — that doctors can access a patient’s vast records to get a full picture of their condition, and address the issue accordingly. On the flip side, though, this means that keeping this data secure and HIPAA compliant is no simple task. In the event that an administrative error has been made in a patient’s documentation, the offending documents must be destroyed immediately and effectively using high security paper shredders so the mistake is not unintentionally preserved. Secure paper shredding of patient documents is also necessary if their records are being migrated to an electronic database, as is often done to improve accessibility and reduce the need for physical storage space.
When polled, executives from 300 companies agreed that security of documents was one of the most important issues their business faced. Whether you are working in one of the aforementioned high-security industries, or you are simply interested in reducing your vulnerability to identity theft and fraud, you can get the exact model to fit your needs from Capital Shredder.
