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In-house Shredders vs. Shredding Services

Are you opening an office or outgrowing your current shredding capacity? But you aren't sure if you should hire a mobile shredding service or simply upgrade your current shredder? The decision can be crucial if you are on a budget but also need to ensure that you are protecting sensitive information.

FACTA and HIPAA require that your customer and employee information be completely destroyed, and your business is currently shredding those documents in-house. If you move to a mobile shredding service, you will need to reserve an area of the office to store the documents until the service provider comes to retreive it, so you would not save any space by moving to a mobile shredding service. 

As far as cost is concerned, an in-house commercial shredder will have a one-time cost, plus smaller incidental costs for shredder bags and shredder oil. Office shredders that are used to shred 20-30 sheets at a time can vary in cost from a few hundred to about $2,000 depending on the security level of the shredding, and the horsepower of the shredder's motor. Larger commercial shredders (shredding 30-60 sheets at a time) range in price from $1,000 to about $5,000.  

For mobile shredding services, the cost can range from $25 to $100 or more per visit depending on the amount of shredding you need done each time. The business owner is responsible to keep the data secure until the shredding company arrives to pick it up. The data is then transferred to another facility to be shredded, adding a layer of access for potential security breach. 

If you decide to go with mobile shredding service, get quotes from several providers and be sure that they can meet your needs in terms of capacity and frequency. If you need help finding the right office shredder for your needs, be sure to check these important specs:

Shredding capacity: For one week, keep track of how much paper you shred at a time and how many times throughout the day. Then look for shredders that can handle the higher end of your daily needs to ensure that you always have enough capacity to handle your shredding needs. 

Security Level: Strip-cut shredders cut your paper into strips. Strip cuts are less secure than cross-cut shredders. Cross-cut shredders make confetti pieces out of your documents. Security levels start at 1 for the least secure and go up to 6 for the highest security. Level 6 is usually reserved for government documents and other top secret shredding needs. 

Multimedia Shredding: Decide if it's important that you be able to shred staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs. Some models of multimedia shredder will take this like a champ. Others, not so much.

How to Know If A Shredder Bag Will Fit Your Shredder

There are two considerations to make when buying replacement bags for your shredder. Usually there is a shredder bag available that matches up to the brand and model of your shredder, ensuring you get the right size to work with your shredder.

But, what if there is a sale on bags for a different shredder model? Or if the store where you want to get your replacement shredder bags is out of the name brand bags for your shredder? In those cases, you can look at two factors to determine if a given shredder bag will fit your shredder: the dimensions and the gallon capacity.

 If the dimensions are within a few inches of your shredder's dimensions, it will fit. If the gallon capacity is within 5 gallons of your shredder's capacity, it will fit.

If you have a choice of several sizes, it is better to go for the size closest to - but bigger than - your shredder's recommended bag size.

Why You Might Need a High Security Paper Shredder

Paper shredders come in all sizes and capabilities. From desk-side office shredders to industrial shredders, and everything in between, the task of choosing a new shredder for your organization's office can be somewhat daunting. Much of the decision-making process is quite simple: size and capacity are the main factors. However, your particular situation may require a bit more detailed research. Are you shredding mostly confidential documents, perhaps bank statements or personal identification materials? If so, you may be a perfect candidate for a High Security Paper Shredder.

High security paper shredders are designed to cut paper into tiny confetti. Many government agencies require shredders meet NSA/CSS specifications 02-01, also known as Level 6 Security. This regulation requires a specific maximum shred size in order to protect secure documents. Be sure that any high security paper shredder purchased for government use is certified under this regulation. Most shredder manufacturers are very forthcoming with such information, so if it's hard to find, there is a good chance the particular shredder you're looking at does not meet these guidelines.  

Typically, high security shredders use some form of cross-cut technology to ensure paper size does not exceed GSA Regulations for High Security shredding. Some shredders are capable of cutting paper into confetti 3mm x 8mm in size. Pretty amazing, right? A shredder with this sort of security level is plenty sufficient for DOD applications that require shredding of Top Secret, COMSEC, INFOSEC, and CRYPTOLOGIC documents on a regular basis. In order to keep these and other important documents confidential, high security paper shredding is a must!

If you are having trouble narrowing your search, I have put together a short list of some popular options for you to consider before you purchase:

Deskside Shredder: The Fellowes MicroShred MS-450Cs is a perfect unit for personal or deskside use in your office. Typically best for light-duty use in an area with limited space, these shredders are great little workhorses.

Departmental Shredder: The Kobra 260 HS-2/6 High Security Shredder is perfect for a medium-size office with a number of people using the shredder. This particular unit is capable of shredding 1/32"x1/4" pieces with a capacity of 6 sheets at a time at a speed of 20 feet per minute.

Commercial Shredder: For heavy-duty applications in large offices, hospitals, or government agencies, the Dahle 20394 High Security Shredder is optimal. This unit is capable of shredding full sheets of paper into 15,500 tiny particles. It shreds up to 11 sheets at a time at 35 feet per minute.