Gilmore Blog https://www.gilmoreservices.com/blog/topic/shredding

It’s no secret that there’s big money in an identity theft. Thieves and hackers can make a hefty profit from stolen personal information. Because of this, every business wants to be safe from a major identity theft issue, which could mean a drastic financial blow to a company. Many businesses know shredding is necessary to help protect their identity. For companies that collect personal information like medical practices, accounting offices and law firms, document shredding also protects the people who trust you with their information.

Like a lot of business process, implementing paper shredding services might not feel like a top priority, but it is actually one of the most beneficial and important parts of running a business. Thieves will go to no end to steal information, and your trash is not off limits.

With around 30 million small businesses in the United States, there is a huge need for businesses to remain compliant and organized. Many small businesses know what it means to budget wisely, especially in the early stages of the business.

Often without excess funds, small businesses today must operate most efficiently while saving money. One simple way to relieve a common burden is by working with a professional records management company. Here are some ways small businesses can improve efficiency and save money with professional document management.

Document storage and management can be challenging to carry out in any industry. When it comes to healthcare, information management is particularly complex. Because strict guidelines associated with laws like HIPAA carry high penalties for violations and noncompliance (in some cases over 1 million dollars in fines), document management systems must balance between being secure and accessible at the same time.

When a medical practice closes or a physician retires, one of the most important things to address is patient medical records. We recently covered the first steps to take when facing a medical practice closure, like the importance of safeguarding confidential information. After taking inventory of medical records and contacting a document storage company, take these next steps to carry out a medical practice closure to protect patient files and stay in line with regulations.

Data breaches have become more sophisticated and damaging as technology advances. This year, we’ve seen big name organizations like Target, Neiman Marcus, and Home Depot face issues with data breaches.

Though every state can be affected, Florida ranks number one in identity theft cases. In an attempt to combat the issue, Florida recently tightened its data breach law to protect personal information of patients and consumers.

Passed in July, the new law increases security accountability for all organizations, with a focus on healthcare. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the healthcare industry alone accounted for 43.8% of all breaches in 2013. Here are some ways to find out what the new Florida data breach law means for your business.  

The role of records management is extremely important to businesses. Ultimately, companies are built on paperwork like contracts, certifications, tax information and employment records.

For businesses looking to safeguard and organize their information, many seek out a professional records management company. For comprehensive care over the lifespan of your documents, records management companies should offer several different tools to organize, store and destroy business documents.

Whether or not to have an in-office shredder or use a professional shredding company is one many businesses have faced. On one hand, it’s convenient to have a document shredder right in the office. On the other hand, personal shredding machines shred a few pieces of paper at a time, must be managed properly by your internal team and lack the speed and efficiency of a commercial shredder. For a real look at what is best for your office, here are four common misconceptions about professional document shredding to consider.

Medical practices house some of the most important information that exists. Patient medical records and important business documents are necessary components of a medical practice.

Family physicians, dentists and psychiatrists all must follow guidelines and laws to remain compliant with confidential records at their medical practice.

With all of this information at stake, what happens when a medical practice closes? Whether a doctor is retiring, the office is moving to a new location or the practice is closing, practice managers and physicians must take important steps to make sure they are properly handling documents and records. Here are the first steps to take to prepare important records for a medical practice closure.

Disasters often don’t give warning. Flash flooding, fires, tornados or a pipe bursting in your building can happen suddenly. Even traceable weather events like hurricanes can intensify within hours and turn into a more serious threat.

Whatever the situation, damage to your business from weather or another cause can leave important records wet, burned or stained. Though important documents and records might appear damaged beyond repair, with the proper equipment and staff, wet or burned records can often be recovered.

Below is a guest blog by Heather Shimala, Document Recovery Account Manager for BMS CAT. This is the third blog in a series of posts this month about preparing business documents for hurricane season and other natural disasters.

Below is a guest blog by Lindsay Childs, Assistant Vice President of Marketing at BMS CAT. This is the second blog in a series of posts this month about preparing your documents for hurricane season and other natural disasters.

For the past 44 years, April 22 has represented an important day for our environment. Earth Day, beginning in 1970, has since become an annual date centered on all aspects of protecting, improving or preserving the Earth. From small efforts like planting a garden or recycling paper to big movements like large-scale education and awareness, Earth Day gives everyone an opportunity to consider ways to do their part. Along with always recycling the paper we shred, Gilmore Services is going a step further again this year and taking on Earth Day, Island Style.

The end of tax season marks the end of collecting and reporting the previous year’s financial statements and is often a breath of fresh air for business owners and the average working American. Filing taxes and accounting for your finances can be time-consuming, so mid-April represents moving forward for the year. Once the returns are processing, many people struggle to determine what to do with all of the paper documents accumulated over the course of a year and beyond. Take a look at which documents to shred and purge after tax season.

Depending on the industry, every business must be aware of its strengths and the ways it can best serve its customers. At Gilmore Services, we stay in-tune with the records management industry to offer our customers more than document storage and shredding. Because we began as a residential moving company almost 60 years ago, our experience in the details of moving has carried over as an asset to our other departments.

Many people rely on important documents as a foundation for their business. Although records can be necessary to prove your company's legitimacy and are helpful to reference, it’s important to recognize when to shred certain documents. No matter the nature of your company, regulations and guidelines apply to how sensitive information should be destroyed. Not only is proper destruction of certain documents required under compliance laws, doing so can also remove liability in certain situations. Take a look at why it's not always better to hold on to information for too long.

Although Gilmore Services began in the Pensacola area over 50 years ago, it’s important to us to continue to grow as a regional business, expanding our services to areas like Montgomery, Alabama, among others.

This New Year, Gilmore Services celebrates over 58 years of being trusted by thousands of organizations who choose to use our moving and storage facilities, our shredding services and our imaging and records management services. We have enjoyed this good fortune only because of our proud history and philosophy of commitment to the highest levels of integrity and customer service. That promise of trust, care and concern for each client's needs continues today as a cornerstone of our company's culture. As we enter 2014, we would like to share our vision for intensifying our client-focused services.

During our lives, we accumulate important records, and it’s often necessary to keep these documents. We aren’t always sure when we’ll need them or where we should store them, but we know that it’s important to have vital information for the future.

Once you’ve made the decision to shred your organization’s outdated records, you expect your shredding company to take care of the rest. Although shredding records seems like the most secure way to destroy documents, your information could be at risk if your shredding company is not properly qualified. The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is the international trade association for companies providing information destruction services.

In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we want our valued customers and friends to know that someone’s identity is stolen in the U.S. every three seconds, which equates to approximately 12 million people annually.