Shredding confidential and sensitive documents is an
important activity for businesses of all sizes and all
households.
The rise of identity theft and fraud means that it is more
important than ever to shred your confidential waste
effectively and to invest in a shredder that you can rely
on to shred your sensitive waste to a secure level.
Shredders are also available to dispose securely of your
multimedia and CD waste. The purchase of a multimedia
shredder could prove invaluable to your business, if your
workforce regularly need to download sensitive and
confidential information to disc and then find a way to
dispose of it safely and securely.
Shredders are graded according to how securely they shred
your confidential paper and multimedia waste. Consumers
should seek to purchase a shredder from a reputable
supplier who lists the shredding security level of their
machines to ensure they are purchasing the most suitable
shredding for their requirements.
A shredder's DIN level indicates the level of shredding
security the machine provides. There are currently six
levels within the DIN scale, which begins with Level 1, as
being suitable for documents of low level security and the
disposal of general waste.
Level 2 works at a slightly more secure level, with both
Levels 1 and 2 shredding waste into long strips through
machines known as strip cut shredders. Level 3 shredders
can be either strip cut or cross cut shredders and are
ideal for shredding a range of confidential documents.
Levels 4 to 6 of shredding security are only available via
cross cut shredders and are for the specialised disposal of
commercially sensitive, classified and top secret
documents. DIN Level 6 is currently the highest available
level of shredding machine grade and is backed by the U.S
government for the disposal of the most sensitive and
confidential documents.
The DIN shredder grading levels are not currently
established as an industry standard in the UK, so consumers
are strongly advised to approach shredding machine dealers
who already operate the DIN grading system to be assured of
purchasing a suitably secure shredder for their needs. The
DIN standard originated in Germany, where DIN stands for
Deutsches Institut fűr Normung (German Institute for
Standardisation), which is the equivalent of the British
Standards Institute (BSI).
Cross cut shredders are ideal for the office environment,
as they shred to a more secure level than strip cut
shredders and also reduce the shredded bulk of paper your
documents create to roughly a quarter of the volume of
shredded waste generated by a strip cut shredder.
Leading brands of shredder include Acco Rexel, Dahle, EBA,
Fellowes, GBC, HSM, IDEAL, Intimus, Kobra, Martin Yale and
Schleicher. All leading shredding machine manufacturers
offer a range of machines to suit differing requirements,
including the shredding of multimedia waste. Shredders can
come in a variety of sizes to suit different environments
and needs, including deskside shredders, small office
shredders, large office shredders, heavy duty paper
shredders, commercial shredders, automatic shredders, and
high security shredders.
The variety of materials that can be shredded securely by
differing levels of machine include paper, cardboard, CDs,
DVDs, multimedia items, A3 and large size paper. When
purchasing a shredder it makes good sense to evaluate your
secure waste disposal needs and then approach a quality
supplier, who can guide you towards the right shredder for
your requirements.
Well-designed shredders are highly safe machines and some
of the leading manufacturers offer a range of security
features as standard on many of their shredding machines,
including Fellowes - who feature a heat-sensing device on
some shredders designed to sense when a body part is too
near the shredder's throat and cease operation of the
shredder immediately.
The Mercury range of shredders from Acco Rexel are fitted
with patented Anti-Jam Technology, whereby a machine's
paper entry area is illuminated with a green light when the
shredder is operating correctly and a red light when too
much paper has been inserted into the shredder for it to
operate safely or effectively.
When researching the purchase of a shredder for your office
or home, it is important to determine the level of
shredding security and capacity you require to suit your
needs. Questions to ask during this process include: What
documents will you need to shred? How often will you need
to use your shredder? How many users will access your
shredder regularly? How securely do you need to shred your
documents? Do you regularly need to securely dispose of
sensitive multimedia waste, such as CDs? How fast do you
need your shredder to be? How frequently will you use your
shredder on a daily basis? How much room do you have to
house your new shredding machine?
With identity theft and fraud rising year-on-year, it is
essential to make the right choice when investing in a
piece of shredding equipment. If you consider the sensitive
waste your workplace produces to be highly confidential,
then investment in a suitable high level shredder will be
an investment you will never regret.
Providing a well-designed and easy to operate shredder for
your colleagues and staff, alongside outlining a clear
company policy for shredding documents, will enable
everyone to participate in consistent housekeeping
procedures within your company and keep sensitive company
information safe and secure.
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You can learn even more about the wide selection of
shredders available to you. Simply visit:
http://www.abt-shredders.co.uk/ to browser through their
massive range of well-priced shredding machines.
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