Too often, businesses do not shred their confidential documents and allow the information to fall into the wrong hands. One of the five common myths about document shredding is that it is unnecessary. After all, who would spend their time searching in a recycling bin for confidential documents? Unfortunately, some people do have the time to search for your classified content, so you’ll need to use a shredder to protect your company’s information. Read on and learn about the different types of shredders for businesses.
Shredder Security Ratings
Before you learn about the different types of shredders, you need to understand security ratings. All shredders are rated on a scale from one to seven. One offers the least amount of security, while seven offers the most. Governments and legal organizations often use level six and seven shredders, while businesses tend to use levels four or five. Levels three, two, and one are used for unimportant documents. When choosing a shredder for your business, make sure the security rating is at least three or more.
Strip-Cut Shredders
The most basic type of shredder is a strip-cut shredder. These types of shredders cut documents into long, thin strips, and they do not offer a lot of protection for your information. In fact, the security ratings for these shredders are levels one and two. If you need to shred junk mail or unimportant documents, these shredders will work well. However, if you need to dispose of confidential content, steer clear of strip-cut shredders since they will not provide adequate protection for your classified content.
Cross-Cut Shredders
Cross-cut shredders are more secure than strip-cut shredders. Also known as a confetti shredder, these machines cut paper into small particles. These shredders provide adequate security for your business, and the security ratings are levels three and four. This is one of the most popular shredders for businesses.
Micro-Cut Paper Shredders
To ensure that your confidential information remains safe, you should use a micro-cut paper shredder. A micro-cut paper shredder is a cross-cut shredder, but it slices the documents into much smaller particles. These paper particles are so small that you can’t even read a single letter on them. The security ratings for these shredders are levels five, six, and seven. If your business constantly deals with classified information, then this is one of the best types of shredders to use.
Industrial Paper Shredders
Businesses don’t use industrial paper shredders very often unless they need to shred large volumes of paper on a regular basis. Instead of shredding 30 or 60 sheets of paper at once, an industrial paper shredder can dispose of a whole file book. Industrial shredders are just as secure as micro-cut shredders, so businesses and government agencies can depend on them to protect their classified content.
Now that you know the different types of shredders for businesses, you can choose the right machine for your company. After shredding your confidential documents, your business’s information will remain safe and secure.
