How To Choose the Right Shredding Company

Don’t Hire Any Shredding Company Until You’ve Asked Them These Eight Revealing Questions

Information Security

1. What type of shredding services do you offer?
There are two types of shredding services. On-site shredding is the most secure because all confidential materials are shredded on-site, at your location. Off-site shredding means that all material is brought back to the company’s facility and HAND SORTED to maximize its recycling value prior to shredding. This can put your organization at risk.

River Mill Data Management only offers highly secure, on-site shredding.

2. Will any of your employees ever touch my confidential documents?
Off-site shredding companies get top dollar for recycling your paper, because they separate the white documents (like copy paper and stationery) from the colored documents (such as yellow legal paper and file folders). So if you choose off-site shredding, someone will HAND SORT all your confidential documents. This unwanted access to your confidential information can expose your customers to identity theft and fraud and expose your organization to severe fines, bad publicity and lost business.

River Mill Data Management never touches your confidential materials for any reason.

3. Are you AAA Certified by NAID?
The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) acts as an independent auditor, checking a shredding company’s compliance in 28 critical areas, including everything from shred size to employee background checks. They award their highest rating, “AAA Certified,” to only a handful of companies that offer the ultimate in secure document shredding. In fact, of the 61 shredding companies operating in Georgia, only 32 have been AAA Certified by NAID. But buyer beware! Some unscrupulous shredding companies will claim to be AAA NAID Certified just to get your business. Ask for a copy of their NAID AAA Certified certificate as proof of their standing.

River Mill Data Management was the first shredding company in the area to be AAA NAID Certified. Click here to see our NAID certification.

4. Do you prescreen employees for criminal activity and also test them for drugs?
There are some people that you just don’t want anywhere near your office, especially if they might have access to your confidential information. Ask for proof that an independent auditor (like NAID) has reviewed the criminal background checks conducted by the shredding company on all their employees that come in contact with confidential information. They also confirm that these same employees undergo pre-hire drug tests, as well as random drug testing post-hiring.

River Mill Data Management performs criminal background checks on all our employees and uses a firm to conduct ongoing random drug tests of every single member of our organization. We also submit to an independent audit of these checks and tests by NAID.

Customer Service

5. What kind of insurance protection do you provide?
All shredding companies provide general liability insurance to protect their customers in the unlikely event that confidential documents fall into the wrong hands. However, most limit this protection to $1,000,000. Make sure your shredding company provides at least $2,000,000 in general liability insurance as well as a commercial crime bond and professional liability insurance.

River Mill Data Management exceeds industry standards with general liability insurance coverage of $2,000,000 as well as a commercial crime bond and professional liability insurance.

Cost

6. Are there any hidden charges?
Some shredding companies will quote you a low, low price and then they’ll slam you with hidden fees like fuel charges, security fees and pick up fees. Other shredding companies charge by the minute to shred your documents. So you’re actually paying them to go slow. Get an exact quote in writing and always ask if there are any additional charges. That way you can be sure the price they quote is the price you’ll pay.

River Mill Data Management provides our services for a low fee, with no hidden charges.