Find out more from Pieter Nienaber, Office/Compliance Manager, on why Secure Destruction should be top of your business agenda:
Secure destruction has been around for a long time – in fact, ever since New York inventor Abbot August Low applied for a patent for a ‘wastepaper receptacle’ in 1909.
But the process is growing and evolving here in South Africa thanks to a range of new and innovative services from the Crown Records Management team.
These have come in response to a rapidly changing environment in data management – and especially new data privacy laws.
Crown, of course, has been the number one name in document, records, and box storage for many years – and we are one of the only multinationals in South Africa catering for the information needs of businesses in the region.
What makes us different, however, is the way we constantly innovate and grow to provide ‘next level’ services for our customers, designed to make their life simpler.
How times are changing in the world of secure destruction
Modern technology, new legislation and a changing view of the importance of data is driving some exciting new services and trends.
But the pandemic is also playing a part. More people have been working from home, creating new data risks and a greater demand to access documents, both physical and digital, outside of the office.
Paper records still count as data
It’s important to note that when we use the phrase ‘data’ this includes physical data, so for instance paper documents, print-ups, contracts, HR records, accounts – all kinds of data which is stored physically rather than on a computer.
There is still an awful lot of paper in South Africa and the idea of a paperless office or paperless world is a long way away. So, it is important for businesses to understand that just because their information is on paper instead of on a server, it doesn’t mean it comes with no risks, that it shouldn’t have a retention date, that it is exempt from privacy laws or that it doesn’t need to be securely destroyed.
It does!
Find out about our new services at Crown Records Management
Firstly, we are offering destruction to a much wider variety of clients.
Not only for customers who already store boxes with us but for other business which don’t work with us right now but want to destroy their documents.
These businesses have woken up to secure destruction because of new privacy laws and because they have needed to access information during the pandemic – and suddenly found out how many documents they are storing which are out of date.
Businesses now come to us for advice on how long to keep their boxes, how to put a retention policy in place and how to make it easier to find documents they need to access.
These are core services for Crown Records Management’s current clients.
Some of the other services on offer include:
Secure destruction bin rotations
This is a new service designed to make secure destruction simpler for clients.
We can now hire out a secure destruction bin to customers, perhaps for a month or two weeks, and charge per kilogramme for the destruction of their company data.
It is a secure, locked bin and once it is full it is then transported by a trackable vehicle to our secure destruction centre. A certificate is issued once the information has been securely destroyed.
We do not see many other records management companies offering this service and it has become a popular one because of its simplicity. It means that a company’s documents are being destroyed in a controlled environment and not just put through a shredder and forgotten about.
The bottom line is that if businesses have documents which are no longer required but which contain business or private information, they need to be securely destroyed. The bins are a useful service and a simple solution – a good first step to a secure destruction policy.
Pulping – an environmentally-friendly service
Everywhere across the world people are growing more interested in the fight against climate change. Businesses want to be more environmentally friendly, and to work with other businesses which share the same philosophy. There is also growing pressure on all industries to reduce their carbon footprint. At Crown we are committed to doing exactly that, and to helping our customers be greener, too.
That is why we have stepped up our pulping service, which takes paper which has been shredded in the secure destruction process and turns it to pulp. It’s good news for businesses because once it leaves the pulping station there is no chance that any information on the original document can still be read. It is good for the environment, too, because the pulp is recycled to make other paper products, such as toilet paper.
Pulping is a service we are encouraging our customers to take up more often.
Secure destruction services for companies which do not store boxes with Crown
Because of an increase in demand, we are now offering secure destruction services to businesses which do not store their boxes with us. We call this ‘unregistered destruction services’ because the companies are not registered with us. But the service is still secure and entirely trackable – and comes with a secure destruction certificate. The secure destruction process can take place on site in some circumstances but more often takes place off site at a secure destruction facility.
The secure destruction certificate
All our secure destruction services are trackable and come with a certificate of destruction at the end of it. That is important, especially in South Africa. Companies want that certificate to show auditors and to prove their documents have been destroyed securely and safely. It gives companies confidence the process has been completed and their documents are no longer a risk. And, of course, the auditors appreciate that the process is transparent and recorded for auditing purposes.
Off-site shredding
Shredding on site may seem like the most cost-effective way to destroy paper documents but there can be savings made by taking them offsite. It removes the need for shredding machines and trucks because all the documents are securely transported to our secure destruction centre. For companies with a lot of records this is important – shredding increases the volume of paper and businesses are often surprised by how much space it takes up. However, some industries in South Africa, especially banks, require information to be destroyed on site. So, ask one of our experts to ensure you understand the rules.
Digital secure destruction
We are seeing a gradual movement towards digital data in South Africa, a shift which has already happened in other parts of the world. With more data stored on computers, printers, servers, phones, and even on apps and wearables, there’s a need for a new type of secure destruction.
Hardware can be degaussed, crushed, and ground to dust by specialist equipment to ensure everything it stores is securely destroyed. The demand for this service is new in South Africa but certain to grow, especially for multinationals.
