In the world today, there are a number of daily transactions that take place and a lot of paperwork going back and forth. You should not keep important papers available for all to view, especially sensitive documents. For this reason, people choose to keep their transactions online or go digital.

No matter how much you try to reduce paperwork, it is inevitable you are going to still have a good amount of important papers. A number of smart companies make sure to destroy all of their papers when they are through with them. The latest machinery has given companies many options when it comes to safely disposing sensitive documents. The most obvious of these machines would be a paper shredder.

What Is A Document Shredder?

Document shredders destroy important documents by shredding them into pieces. They are used in many offices as they help to prevent the leaking of business secrets and important sensitive information. The document shredder can be used to shred checks, bank statements, medical records and receipts. You can select the type of shredding you want, depending on the security level of the document.

How Does A Document Shredder Work?

A shredder has a pair of rotating blades, a motor and a paper comber. When the documents are fed in between the blades, they split it into small pieces. This is due to the speed and pressure of the blades. The shredded pieces are then collected in containers. The containers are a part of the more expensive shredders. The cheaper shredders do not offer this feature.

Shredding Methods

A document shredder applies different shredding methods such as the ultra security cut, crosscut and strip cut. Ultra security shredding is applied for destroying very sensitive documents. The shredded documents are cut into unreadable pieces. Crosscut document shredding involves the crisscross shredding technique. Strip cutting is applied to bulk shredding and the paper is cut into long thin vertical strips.

Important Features Of A Document Shredder

The Department of Defense has set certain standards for destroying important documents. There are many types of shredders available and various price ranges. Certain features should be kept in mind before purchasing a document shredder.

- Durability - One of the major factors of a document shredder that needs to be considered is its durability. The life of a shredder depends on the plastic or metal it is made from. If a plastic shredder is over used, it may not last for long.

- Security- Some document shredders cut the papers in strips of different widths. Shrewd thieves can put together the shredded pieces uniformly to get the information they want. Therefore, if you really want to safeguard your information, you need to buy a document shredder that shreds documents into unreadable bits.

- Different Uses Of Document Shredders- Document shredders can not only be used for shredding paperwork, but also other important material like plastic film, CDs, ID cards, floppy disks, microfiche, key tapes and other highly classified media.

- Dust - The more the quantity of documents to be shredded, the greater the possibility of dust and rust accumulating on the equipment. For this reason, most shredders have internal vacuums.

- Noise- Some shredders tend to be very noisy when loaded with more than the recommended quantity of paper. You should request a free demonstration before you buy a document shredder. This will help you to get familiar with the shredder's operation and give you an idea about the noise.

The only way to avoid identity theft is to stay one step ahead of the thieves. Shredding your documents is no longer an option, for many documents, it is the law! A personal paper shredder is the first step in protecting yourself from the thieves.

Andy Lawson and Southland shredding, a California document destruction services company, work to help businesses prevent information security issues by providing collection centers and on site document shredding California services for the document destruction needs of companies, government offices or individual privacy protection.