Is Your Confidential Data At Risk?

How a Shredding Service Can Plug Your Leaks…

No matter what business you’re in, you’ll have data and documents that mustn’t get into the wrong hands. Even if your computer security is a digital Fort Knox, don’t forget that there are other, more old-fashioned ways for information to leak out.

Ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com) are trusted experts in secure waste disposal and confidential document shredding, providing services across Manchester, Liverpool and North West England. Here’s their overview of just some of the ways information could escape from your business – and how using a shredding service could ensure it doesn’t.

Why you should shred… customer details 

If you don’t destroy these documents, it could have serious ramifications for your customers, whose details could be used for identity fraud. And it could have expensive consequences for your business – if you’re found in breach of the Data Protection Act, you could be liable for a fine of up to £500,000. Best to ensure that any hard copies of customer contact and payment details are thoroughly destroyed as promptly as possible.

Why you should shred… business memos

Industrial espionage may sound like something that only happens in films, but think about it. If you have confidential documents detailing business strategies lying around, a disgruntled employee or burglar may leak them to a competitor. Shred such memos to minimise the risk of them getting into the wrong hands.

Why you should shred… your company’s financial information

Documents containing sensitive company financial details could be used to defraud your business, whether it’s to steal funds directly from your account or to assume the identity of your business to illegally obtain goods and services. Once you’re legally able to do so, shred all documents showing financial details – and shred expired company credit cards and chequebooks too.

Why you should shred… data CDs and DVDs

Of course, it’s not only paper documents we need to be careful with these days. While hard drives and other computer equipment need to be safely destroyed by IT experts, if you have confidential data stored on discs these can also be destroyed by a shredding service.

Why you should shred… with ecoshred

If you’re based in Manchester, Liverpool or anywhere else in the North West, and you need paper shredding, document shredding and CD or DVD disposal, ecoshred can help. They can shred your documents on-site or in their specially equipped vehicles, giving you the time to get on with your day job and assurance that any potential leak is plugged before the data starts to flow out of it.

And don’t worry about staples, paperclips or even binders and folders – ecoshred’s powerful shredders can destroy it all, safely, securely and in a way that doesn’t harm the environment. They’ll even supply you with a certificate showing how much energy you’ve saved – great from a CSR perspective.

Find out more at www.ecoshreduk.com.

It’s been just over a year since the European Union’s Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding set out her proposals to reform the bloc’s data-privacy rules.

It’s a contentious dossier, which would oblige any company in the world seeking to do business in the EU to comply with the new laws. It’s in the ministers hands’ after being reviewed by several committees within the European Parliament.

Then there was “copy-pastegate,” where chunks of text proposed by companies lobbying the Parliament found their way directly into amendments by several lawmakers. There’s been plenty of discussion about how to craft rules which are fair for small businesses, while effective for the Web giants that hold vast amounts of our personal data — much of it freely uploaded.

That’s a lot to resolve, so watch this space. But several issues will dominate the agenda

Risk-Based Approach

To use the cliché example, a baker with 500 addresses he delivers to shouldn’t be treated the same as a data-processing/marketing operation with 500 client profiles. So it’s not about one-size-fits-all, but finding data-privacy obligations that match the risk of what would happen if the data was lost or used unlawfully. In a world of online medical records, Internet shopping and Facebook FB +3.94% “likes” this is a lot of data.

Pseudonymous data

Another question ministers will discuss is whether the new data-protection rules should also apply to “pseudonymous data” — data that can be traced back to an individual computer or other device, but not the user’s name. It’s not yet clear whether this will be included in the regulation. At the moment, anonymous data – which cannot be linked to a specific user or device at all – isn’t covered by the data-protection rules.

Flexibility for the public sector

Some EU countries are big on transparency, with many documents publicly available. Countries also hold more and more data on citizens and use it in interesting ways. And of course, some things have to be public, such as the land registry, which contains a ton of data. Getting the right balance between these various considerations is likely to keep ministers busy

For more information on how ecoshred could help make your business a safer and more regulation compliant place, call us today on 01925 650 075 or write to us at generalenquiries@ecoshreduk.com.

Recycling is on the up!

•  43% of Household waste was recycled (including composting and reuse) in 2012, which was a considerable increase on previous years.
• In 2011, 8 million tonnes of waste paper was collected for recycling in the UK, 4 million tonnes of which was used by paper mills to make new paper. 

It’s so important in this day and age that businesses dispose of their commercial waste properly: either by seeing to it themselves or by hiring a professional handler to do it. Here at ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com), our business is dealing with the secure destruction of the confidential waste material generated by businesses of all sizes.

The Environment

•  Recycling 1 tonne of paper saves 17 mature trees, seven-thousand gallons of water, three cubic yards of landfill space, two barrels of oil and over 4,000 kw hours of electricity.

Incorrect disposal of waste can cause incalculable consequences on the environment. Given how easy it is to recycle in the world of today, there’s absolutely no excuse for not disposing of your waste safely and appropriately. Here at ecoshred we make a point of making the whole process easy for you and your business. We shred your waste paper both to prevent your sensitive documents being read and because shredded paper is easier to recycle. As the statistics above indicate, of the paper that was collected for recycling just under half was used by paper mills to create new paper products. 

Identity Theft/Fraud

• Around 95% of business information is still stored on paper.
• Identity fraud costs the UK an estimated £1.7bn a year and is the fastest growing white-collar crime. 

While a large proportion of identity fraud takes place on the high street and in the form of credit card theft, a lot of fraud happens when confidential information is easily accessible. By easily accessible, we don’t just mean left on the top of your dustbin or lying at the side of the road; in many cases stolen confidential documents have come from sealed plastic bags in bins. When you shred your documents, you make it much more difficult for any potential identity thieves or fraudsters to piece that information back together and use it to their advantage. However, if someone wanted to obtain information about your business that badly, they could easily take home a waste bag of shredded paper from your business premises and piece that information back together. This is where ecoshred comes in. You can be sure that with our excellent service, your confidential information will be destroyed, disposed of and recycled, making identity theft and fraud extremely unlikely.

For more information on how ecoshred could help make your business a safer and more environmentally friendly place, call us today on 01925 650 075 or write to us at generalenquiries@ecoshreduk.com.

Ecoshred (www.echoshreduk.com) provide secure and confidential waste disposal services throughout the Manchester area and across North West England. Here we discuss out top tips for selecting a document destruction provider.

1. Security:

It all starts here. What certifications do they have? Are they ISO certified and UKAS accredited, how long have they been certified? What is the shred size – do they meet standards or exceed them? What bins or types of containers are they offering? How are those containers secured – key locks? Your secure documents don’t have to leave your building to be stolen – it can happen right on site.

2. Service:

This isn’t just about a schedule or response time – it goes a lot deeper. Are they offering stealth service; nobody is disturbed during the visit, the bin is never overflowing, you have no need to manage the process. Is the driver: well dressed, proper visible identification, smiling, well mannered, happy to be servicing you, responsive to your immediate needs. When you call the office: do you get a live friendly person or do you get voice mail or some complicated phone tree/ automated answering system? If you have questions on an invoice do you get directly transferred to some angry person in accounting or do you have the extreme pleasure of getting a voice mail or once again some complicated phone tree/ automated answering system.

3. Partner:

Is the supplier continually trying to reduce your cost, increase your security and be your consultant to help you develop secure procedures? If the last time you saw your sales person or talked to them was 12 months ago when they gave you a “great price” you should seriously look for a new supplier.

4. Green:

What is their environmental statement? Where does the paper go? Many companies only offer mobile shredding services. That means the truck is idling out in your parking lot burning fossil fuels while they tell you they are saving the environment. Great suppliers like Ecoshred have a plan and are proud of their controlled and contained carbon foot print.

5. Socially Conscious:

The great companies keep close tabs on where they spend their money. CEOs are interested in triple bottom line results. What is the perceived character of your supplier or better yet what is their public persona. Who do you want to be associated with and is it important to your brand? A lot of times decisions on a paper shredding supplier is made at a very low level and the purchaser is confidently proud of the pennies they saved while they ignore the enormous potential social exposure associated with selecting a local company that is giving back to the community.

6. Price:

If you are only buying on price and your desire is to torture every supplier until you feel you got the best deal – go back and read the first 5 tips. The lowest cost supplier isn’t always the best supplier.

So when it comes to sensitive, confidential and potentially harmful documents and data, leave nothing to chance. If you’re a business in the Manchester or North West area, it’s well worth finding out how ecoshred’s waste disposal services can destroy your documents safely and securely. And it’s not just paper shredding they offer – they can destroy your data discs too.

Find out more at www.echoshreduk.com, or call freephone 0800 612 9595.

You may have seen in the news that, following a leak of customer data, Sony received a £250,000 fine due to breaching data protection law. This story highlights the importance of keeping your confidential data safe and secure, proving just how costly data protection breaches can be.

In addition to ensuring your online security is tight and up to date, it’s also essential to destroy any hard copies of confidential documents in a safe, secure fashion. The best way to achieve this is by using a confidential shredding service.

Ecoshred (www.echoshreduk.com) provide such a service throughout the Manchester area and across North West England. They believe specialist shredding services helps minimise the risk of data breaches – therefore minimising the risk of being slapped with an unpleasant fine.

Fast, timely destruction of documents

First of all, using a document shredding service ensures that your documents are destroyed in a timely fashion on a regular basis. Waiting until you or your team “get around to it” can result in it never happening, as chances are you’ll have tasks that you consider more pressing (and less tedious). The longer you leave sensitive documents lying around the office, the more chance they have of being misplaced – and potentially ending up in the hands of fraudsters.

Waste disposal in a secure environment

A confidential shredding service will destroy and dispose of your documents in a safe and secure location, whether that’s on-site on your premises or, in ecoshred’s case, in their specially-equipped vans. If your documents travel too far before they’re destroyed, they’re at risk of going missing or getting intercepted – which can have disastrous, costly consequences.

Trusted operatives keeping your info away from prying eyes

You’ll want to ensure that your sensitive documents are kept out of view of anyone who has no business seeing them. A professional service like ecoshred will ensure all their staff are vigorously background checked and fully trained. What’s more, their staff will never actually see your documents prior to shredding them – so you can rest assured they’ll remain private and confidential until they’re shredded into tiny pieces.

So when it comes to sensitive, confidential and potentially harmful documents and data, leave nothing to chance. If you’re a business in the Manchester or North West area, it’s well worth finding out how ecoshred’s waste disposal services can destroy your documents safely and securely. And it’s not just paper shredding they offer – they can destroy your data discs too.

Find out more at www.echoshreduk.com, or call freephone 0800 612 9595.

Here at ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com) we are happy to announce that we have been officially re-accredited by UKAS for both our ISO 9001 management systems and 14001 environmental systems. Being accredited for ISO 9001 means that all of our team understands all of the processes and procedures necessary to undertake our confidential waste service. Being accredited for ISO 14001 means that ecoshred minimises the negative effects we have on the environment, complies with all applicable laws and regulations and that we as a company will continue to improve both of these factors.

If you’reinterested in how ecoshred could help to safely and confidentially dispose of your paper and media, contact us today on 0800 612 9595, email us at generalenquiries@ecoshreduk.com or contact us via our website http://www.ecoshreduk.com/contactus.html.

Every business produces confidential documents that must be kept out of the wrong hands, whether it’s customer data, employee details or commercially sensitive information. Security is paramount – which is why a confidential shredding service is essential.

Ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com) provide document shredding services across Manchester and the North West. Here’s their “Four Ws” of waste disposal and document shredding…

1.      Why do I need a confidential shredding service?

Identity theft. Corporate fraud. Leaks to competitors. These are just some of the ways in which your confidential data could be abused should it get into the wrong hands. That’s before we even get to Data Protection breaches – with maximum fines of up to £500,000. Confidential shredding services such as ecoshred help prevent your confidential documents going where they shouldn’t.

2.      Where’s the best place to destroy my confidential documents?

In order to minimise the risk of documents being intercepted, it’s best to keep the distance they travel at a minimum. For example, in the interests of safety and security, ecoshred will come to you to destroy your confidential documents. They can either shred on-site or in their specially-equipped trucks. Either way, your documents will be shredded into confetti-sized pieces before anyone can get their hands on them.

3.      What happens to my documents once they’ve been shredded?

Most shredding services will recycle their shredded paper, but be sure to check – not only will you help the environment, it also looks good for your business from a corporate and social responsibility perspective. As their name suggests, ecoshred are highly conscious of their responsibility to protect the environment. All paper is recycled, and they’ll even provide you with an Environmental Certificate to show exactly how their shredding services help you go green.

4.      Who should I choose to shred my documents?

You might think the most cost-effective way to destroy your documents is by doing it yourself. But this almost certainly isn’t the case. In terms of manpower, your team members would have to take a substantial amount of time out of their day to carry out the shredding. And then there’s the cost of the equipment, power and waste disposal. A shredding service such as ecoshred will have shredding machinery that’s much more powerful than standard office shredders, making the process much quicker – saving you time and money.

So if you’re in the North West, whether you’re looking for a one-off job or a regular shredding service, why not consider ecoshred? You can find out more about ecoshred’s confidential shredding and waste disposal services across Manchester, Warrington and Liverpool at www.ecoshreduk.com, or by calling 0800 612 9595.

If you own or are responsible for running a business, corporate identity fraud is a threat you simply can’t afford to ignore. There are many steps you can take to help minimise the risks – including confidential shredding of sensitive data.

Ecoshred (www.ecoshreduk.com) are experienced in the destruction and disposal of confidential documents, helping businesses in Manchester, Liverpool and across the whole North West keep confidential data out of the wrong hands. They’ve put together this quick guide to avoiding corporate identity theft, highlighting the importance of secure document shredding and waste disposal…

Why should I be concerned about corporate identity fraud?

Fraudsters can take advantage of your compromised data in a variety of ways. They could illegally obtain goods and services in your company’s name, contact and defraud your customers, hijack your company’s bank accounts or otherwise ruin your good name. What’s more, you could be liable for fines of up to £500,000 if you breach the Data Protection Act as a result of not destroying and disposing of sensitive data.

How can paper shredding help prevent identity fraud?

In addition to signing up to Company House’s PROOF scheme and keeping your online security up to date, you must ensure that all hard copies of confidential documents and data are destroyed safely and securely. A cost-effective, timely way of achieving this is by using a confidential document shredding service such as Ecoshred.

Isn’t it cheaper to shred our own documents?

Consider the cost of the shredder, labour, maintenance and power, and you’ll see that a document shredding service could actually save you money. Ecoshred estimate it would cost you 3-5 times more to do your own shredding, and if you need as little as one or two cases of paper shredding a month, you’ll save time and money using a document shredding service.

Where would our documents be shredded?

A trusted shredding service like Ecoshred can perform all necessary paper shredding on your premises. This ensures that your documents don’t get intercepted or lost between leaving you and arriving at a different location. For your piece of mind, all Ecoshred personnel go through background checks, and won’t see your documents at any point during the shredding process.

What can be shredded – and when?

A company like Ecoshred who offer a good service will shred more than just paper. You won’t have to spend your valuable time separating paperclips, staples or rubber bands – their powerful shredders can destroy it all. And if you have CDs containing confidential data, they can even destroy those for you. You choose how often shredding takes place, whether it’s a one-off job or regularly scheduled visit.

So why not see if Ecoshred could help your business in Manchester or Liverpool with its confidential shredding and waste disposal services – and help you fight the battle against identity fraud? Find out more at www.ecoshreduk.com.

It’s that time of year again when we find ourselves shopping for the festive season. The risk of identity theft increases up to £300% during the holiday season so it’s imperative that you take steps towards protecting yourself and others whilst still enjoying the Christmas spirit.

It’s all too easy when were shopping, buying presents, and enjoying ourselves in the holidays to forget about the dangers of identity theft and how predators can easily access your personal information to use against you.

Avoid shopping on the busiest holiday shopping days, these days are chaotic and as such many people can find themselves making silly mistakes, like losing credit cards, or leaving personal belongings open. Make sure you have your wits about you and don’t let the Christmas spirit divert your attention away from keeping your belongings secure and safe

2- Beware of individuals who get too close and always be cautious when taking money out of cash machines. It’s all too easy for fraudsters to get your pin number by looking over your shoulder so always cover your hands when typing information in at the ATM.

3- Use cash for purchasing most items especially small items which are not worth sharing your card information with others. Using less credit cards and sharing less personal information is one of the main recommendations.

4- Check your account statements carefully when they arrive. Make sure you look over all the transactions and can equate for each one, if you notice something different or don’t recognise the debit don’t be afraid of contacting your bank to follow up.

5- Shred all your documents. It’s all too easy when were out shopping on foot or online to keep receipts and documents information lying loose around the house or in your bins. To a fraudster this is a simple way of getting your personal and secure details without having to risk too much danger on their behalf. Always make sure you shred your bills, receipts and letters before placing them in the bin or going to recycle.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article and from all of us here at Ecoshred we wish you a friendly joyous and safe Christmas