Do you know what shredder security setting you should be choosing for your business? It’s all about the P.
If you haven’t heard of GDPR at this stage, then the date to be aware of is 25 May 2018. This is the day that European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaces all previous data protection laws and applies throughout the European Union and the UK (post Brexit).
For those companies that are aware of this change, they will be making in-roads into making their business ‘GDPR compliant’ and be very aware that this change effects every strand and layer of their business. IT, HR, sales, marketing presence (offline and online), office equipment, security, general infrastructure, fleet management, finance – quite literally every aspect of the business needs to be scrutinised to ensure compliance. We recently did a blog on workplace security hygiene, so this give a few tips on how to make your office environment a little safer and what to consider. It’s a good place to start, if you haven’t already commenced the process.
For each area of the business, there are going to be a lot of considerations, and we aren’t experts in all of them, but what we are experts in is office equipment, so we’ll share a few details with you that will help you on your GDPR compliance journey.
All businesses should absolutely invest in a shredder, if they don’t already have one. And not just any shredder; a strip cut shredder, isn’t good enough for security and the destruction of confidential information. It’s a cross cut shredder that’s needed.
Ok, I hear you say, let’s get a cross cut shredder. But hold on there! Do you know what security setting you need? This links directly to the risk, sensitivity and confidentiality associated with the documents you are going to shred in your business, so here’s a guide to help you assess what’s going to work for the destruction of your documents.
When you look at the shredders on the safesandshredders.ie website, you’ll notice that there is a dropdown box for you to choose a P-level. This is associated with the security setting of that particular model. Most models have multiple options of security settings, so it’s important that you analyse the documents you are going to destroy and shred. It may be that you need a series of different shredders for your office, depending on their location and the nature of the documents to be destroyed. So let’s look at the P levels of security:
- P-4 Security Level
This is the most common cross cut shred size for normal commercial use. It offers a good combination of security and performance and is suitable for normal personal data.
- P-5 Security Level
Micro cut shred size is for more confidential documents. Perfect for HR and Finance departments and is suitable for sensitive data.
- P-6 and P-7 Security Levels
Security and highest security cut shred sizes for the most confidential documents. Suitable for secret intellectual property documents and highest government classifications.
What Can You Do With Your Old Strip Cut Shredder?
If your business does have to replace the shredders from the old strip cut shredders to the cross cut model, consider contacting your local animal protection agency or office. They can cut down newspaper to use it as bedding, so the old machines can be put to great use!
Need a Consultation?
If you’re unsure which model and security setting to choose, please give us a call and we’d be happy to consult with you to ensure that you get the right solution for your business. We’re in the business of partnering with our clients, so they get the best results and can concentrate on doing their business.
How To Find Us
You can reach us at sales@safesandshredders.ie and our landline is 01 4097034. You can also follow us on Twitter: @safes_Shredders, Facebook: Safes and Shredders Ireland.
