Document destruction services, Data Protection
Tax Season: What Documents Do I Need To Keep?
Tax documents can be some of the most confusing when it comes to what to keep and what to shred. The standard rule is keep records for three years, but does that apply to everything? The answer is that it's more complicated than that. Some documents you only need to save for a year while others you may need to keep around for a decade or longer. For example, your pay stubs and brokerage statements really only need to be kept unless there's a discrepancy in your W2s, year-end statements, or 1099s. In addition, there are certain income-related forms that aren't necessary for an audit, but are necessary for other benefits (e.g., Social Security, etc.). Find out more about how to create a tax document checklist for yourself, so you don't leave anything out.
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Document destruction services, Data Protection
Tax Season: Identity Theft Prevention
Whether you are a business or an individual, you have tax documents in your files. Tax documents are a gold mine for identity thieves — they are loaded with personal information, including your social security number. Identity thieves are on the lookout during tax season, as those who leave tax documents around make identity theft much easier. You can minimize data theft by keeping confidential documents locked up and, when it’s time to dispose of them, by shredding them with Heart of Texas Shred.
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Data Protection
Secure Customers Data with Document Destruction
Secure shredding has become a hot topic for business owners today. The internet has opened the doors to buyers all over the world, and they're desperate to get their hands on information. Regardless of whether that information comes from physical or virtual documents, criminals and opportunists of every variety are exploiting data in ever more creative ways. It's why the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) has redefined the rules of security, leading companies to reconsider their data protection policies for fear of getting into legal trouble. Better document destruction isn't just a good way to protect your reputation, it can also be the key to sustaining your livelihood. One hack can bankrupt a small company and cause years of aftermath for its owners.
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Hard Drive Destruction
Dangers of DIY Hard Drive Destruction
For hackers and identity thieves, hard drives represent an opportunity to steal your private data. If you have an old hard drive or computer that you’re considering throwing away or donating, consider the risks of allowing criminals to get their hands on your sensitive information.
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Shred Documents, Corporate document shredding
Declutter Your Home or Office with Heart of Texas Shred
If you have anything in common with millions of Americans, your home and office collect clutter throughout the year. The clutter we think of first is often frivolous purchases, unused gift items, and outgrown clothes, but perhaps the most compromising clutter in your home is paper. Old invoices, bank statements, credit applications, and copies of vital records often contain confidential information that could be used to harm you if it ever landed in the hands of a thief or a criminal.
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Hard Drive Destruction
What Gets Stolen From Old Hard Drives
Before you throw away, donate or recycle a computer, make sure the hard drive is destroyed. Even programs that tout that they can erase everything on the drive are not hacker-proof. The best way to make sure all of the data on the drive is destroyed is to shred the drive. You might not think that anything important is on the drive, but most people have sensitive information, such as their address, birth date and social security number on the computer. If you paid bills online or accessed bank accounts online, that information is also stored on the hard drive. If you have a business, you have even more on the hard drive: Not just your employees’ info, but you have customer info and trade secrets. Even reformatting the drive is not a secure option. Other than physically destroying the drive, you could degauss it. The degausser machine changes the magnetic properties of the drive and makes it unusable.
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document shredding
The Important Questions to Ask When Outsourcing Document Shredding
In choosing your specialist for document shredding, it’s important to take on the research process carefully. Our team at Hot Shred has decades of experience in the document shredding industry, and within this latest post, we’ll explain a little more about the important questions to consider when choosing a specialist.
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document shredding
Tips for Choosing a Document Shredding Company
Your document shredding company will be responsible for maintaining the security of company data and ensuring that all documents are safely removed from circulation. Our team at Hot Shred has decades of experience as a leading document shredding firm, and in this latest post, we’ll present our tips for choosing a shredding company.
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Document destruction services
Tips for Using Document Destruction Services
Document destruction services can help to protect your company and your customer’s data against exposure. But it’s important to carefully choose the service to ensure that data is protected throughout the destruction process. In this new post, we’ll present our tips for choosing document destruction services.
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document shredding
The Importance of Corporate Document Shredding
Corporate document shredding is now a critical safety consideration for the modern company. Our team at Hot Shred has helped thousands of firms schedule corporate document shredding for their teams and in this latest post, we’ll explain more about the value that corporate document shredding can bring to your business.
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