For classified documents, the National Security Agency requires that these papers are completely disposed of when they are no longer in use. This is to protect sensitive information against any prying eyes. You may have noticed that the shredders used to destroy these documents are NSA approved, and you may be wondering, what does NSA approved mean for paper shredders? Here is the answer to your question.
NSA Approval
So, what does NSA approved mean for paper shredders? The National Security Agency decided that any document containing classified content must be destroyed completely to the point that it is unrecoverable. Essentially, they do not want anyone to piece the papers back together and disclose the classified information. This information can be found under the NSA/CSS Specification 02-01.
Cross Cut Versus Strip Cut
There are two types of shredders that destroy papers. The first is the cross cut shredder that slices the papers up into very small squares. The second is the strip cut shredder that slices the papers into strips, hence the name. For classified documents, the cross cut shredder is the best option because the small squares resemble confetti and cannot be reassembled.
Security Levels
All shredders are graded from numbers one through six depending on the sizes of the remaining paper fragments they produce, with one being the largest and six the smallest. To keep your information safe, alevel 6 shredder from Capital Shredder Corp would be your best option. Keep in mind that the security scale does vary depending on whether the shredder is cross cut or strip cut. For instance, strip cut shredders cannot have a number higher than three on the scale.
Level 6 Security
The reason why the level six shredder is so important is that the NSA requires it. A level six shredder is the only one that is NSA approved because it ensures that the documents are unrecoverable. To keep all your confidential content safe, remember to use a level six shredder from Capital Shredder Corp.
