Hello, and welcome to another Tuesday Morning blog post! Today we’ll talk about another area of document management: Secure destruction of documents.
When you need to get rid of some documents you no longer need, you figure that you can just pop them into your desk side trash can and be done. However, this is a bad idea because once your can is emptied into the dumpster outside, there is nothing stopping someone from doing a little dumpster diving and taking those documents for themself, or even for someone else. Remember, It only takes one stolen file to harm or even destroy a business!
Enter document destruction methods. Today, we will talk about the most common form, which is shredding your documents. This is usually done using a shredding machine, which takes documents and cuts them up into multiple pieces. This allows for the safe disposal of old, unnecessary files in your office. How it works is simple: You insert the documents you want to destroy, and then when the shred container (Usually a plastic bag in a box) becomes full, you simply take the full bag out to your dumpster or recycling bin.
Shredding machines come in many forms, from the humble office depot unit that sits under your desk ready to rip, to massive ones that commercial shredding services use. Shredders will cut files up into strips, or even into confetti-sized pieces, and even smaller. This is denoted by the various security levels, from P-1 to P-7. Let’s compare the different levels, and what you will find these in.
P-1: The most basic shredder level. P-1 is the lowest security level, and is commonly found in most budget consumer grade shredders bought from Walmart, Office Depot, etc. P-1 shredders cut strips 1/2″ wide. While a P1 shredder is fast, it is also easy to reassemble a document shredded in a P-1 shredder.
P-2: A slight (just slight) step up from P-1. The key difference here is that the strips are narrower than on P-1. P-2 shredders cut documents into < 1/4″ strips. These are most commonly found in mid-grade consumer shredders. While it’s more difficult to reassemble a P-2 shred, it’s still doable.
P-3: This level of shredder cuts files into 2mm wide strips. The difficulty of reassembly here increases drastically. These are found with high-end office store shredders, as well as budget-friendly commercial office shredders. P-3 is the legal minimum security level for businesses with sensitive data.
P-4: This is where things really step up. The P-4 level involves cross-cutting, which not only cuts the file into strips, but even cuts those strips up! Reassembly here is crazy difficult. P-4 shreds are usually ≤ 160 mm² particles, ≤ 6 mm wide. The P-4 level is mostly found in commercial grade office shredders, but can also be found in the very high end consumer shredders. P-4 is the minimum recommended for destroying files with PII, or Personally Identifiable Information, such as social security numbers, etc.
P-5: It gets even crazier with the shred size! P-5 shreds are ≤ 30 mm² particles, ≤ 2 mm wide. The P-5 level is only found in commercial grade office shredders. The only downside to this level is a drop in shredding speed. P-5 shredders are ideal for businesses who prefer extra security over shredding speed.
P-6: But wait, there’s more! P-6 produces shreds of a mere ≤ 10 mm² particles, ≤ 1 mm wide. Again, only found in commercial shredders. P-6 is excellent for those who prefer security over speed.
P-7: And then there’s the god-tier: P-7 produces the smallest shreds, of only ≤ 5 mm² particles, ≤ 1 mm wide. P-7 is the required security standard for government use. P-7 is found only in commercial grade shredders. If you want P-7 level security for your office, expect to pay a decent amount. While P-7 is the peak of security, it is also the slowest, with a maximum of only 10 sheets of paper per pass.
You can also use a commercial shredding service. How this works is simple: The company you decide to work with will bring you a special, locked container. This container will have a slot-like opening for documents to be inserted. The container comes in many forms, from a stylish, cabinet-like container, to an industrial wheelie bin (like the trash can the city provides). Once the container is full, you’ll simply call the shredding company to schedule a pick up of your shreddables. There are two forms of shredding services, to which most companies offer both:
On-Site: All shredding is done at your location by a specialized truck. This truck has a secure (Usually P4-P6) shredding unit built into it that does all the work. The shreds are then transported to the company’s facility for disposal, usually through recycling.
Off-Site: Shredding is done at the company’s facility. This is done on industrial grade high security shredders. With this, your container is taken to the shredding facility, and a new, empty container is left behind.
However you decide to go about it, if you handle sensitive documents, make sure you have some form of document destruction at hand. The P-level you go with is dependent on the type of documents you handle. P-1 is okay for personal home use, but for a business setting, I recommend no less than a P-4 shredder, with P-6 being the gold standard for places like a health care facility, where darn near every sheet of paper has some form of PII on it.