Author Archives: Yami

Data Retention Compliance: Document Shredding

You may be responsible for your company’s document retention and destruction. Here you will learn about data retention compliance and document shredding services.

To help comply with document retention and privacy laws and regulations, you may contract with a vendor specializing in document destruction, such as document shredding service Boston.

Data Retention Compliance

There are federal, state, local, and international data retention and privacy laws and regulations, including HIPAA’s PHI or personal health information, GLBA’s and SOX’s financial records, FACTA’s PII or consumer personally identifiable information, European Union’s GDPR, industry-specific, and company-wide regulations.

Your business may have internal, confidential, and secret data. The type of data to be destroyed dictates the level of security needed in data destruction. You may need to follow one of DIN’s seven shredding security standards. DIN P-4 through P-6 are FACTA compliant, and P-7 is NSA top-secret compliant. Shredders may cut papers using strip-cut, particle-cut, cross-cut, and pierce-and-tear methods, each providing a different level of security.

Document Shredding Services

Document destruction vendors may provide on-site or off-site shredding services. Typically, a mobile GPS-tracked, camera-equipped document shredding truck comes to your location during an on-site service. The driver securely transports your documents to the truck and stays on site while your documents are being shredded inside the truck’s industrial paper shredder.

For off-site shredding, the driver securely loads your documents onto the truck and takes them to a facility to be shredded. A chain of custody for transporting, storing, and shredding is documented.

A Certificate of Destruction is provided after shredding completion. A CoD provides documentation for audits and may include your business contact, company name, address, date, time, location, and type of shredding.

The vendor may charge you based on a fee per box, per shredding bin, per hour on-site, or per pound, plus administrative charges.

Contracting with a licensed, bonded, insured, and NAID AAA-certified vendor would be good. NAID sets industry standards for information destruction and is part of the International Secure Information Governance & Management Association.

Vendors may create bales of shreds and take them to a paper mill recycling plant for disposal.

3 Surprising Facts About Electronics Waste

Technology is moving faster than ever before. These advancements are exciting, but it’s causing a huge number of obsolete and unwanted electronics to pile up in landfills worldwide.

Electronic waste, sometimes called e scrap or e waste, is one of the fastest-growing waste streams on the planet. E waste is a broad term that includes devices such as cell phones, computers, televisions and many more tech gadgets.

1. Electronic Waste Can Cause Big Problems With Personal Data Security.

There are many obvious problems with electronic waste, and data security might be the most important overlooked concern. When you discard your old phone or computer in the regular trash, you could be subjecting your personal information to theft by criminal hackers.

Even if the device is broken, bank account numbers, social security numbers, tax documents and more may still be available. To safeguard your personal data, devices should always be recycled, which includes wiping and fully dismantling the technology prior to disposal.

2. Recycling Can Save Precious Metals.

Did you know that cell phones and laptops contain precious metals such as gold and silver? These metals are valuable and reusable if recycled properly. When you recycle your devices, the center will carefully remove these elements and repurpose them to be used in future projects.

Although the recycling process is effective, only about 15% of gold used in technology is ever recovered.

3. Recycling Can Prevent Hazardous Leaching.

Your devices contain much more than plastic and glass inside – they also contain trace elements of hazardous materials such as lead and chromium. In fact, the average color TV screen can contain up to 8 pounds of lead!

When these items are thrown in a landfill, these materials can leak out of the device over time. Eventually, the chemicals make their way into rivers and streams which can negatively impact both people and animals.

Although the situation may sound dire, there is a lot you can do to help, and it all begins with responsible recycling. Before you throw your old device in the trash, consider these facts and contact your local recycling center.

What You Need To Know About Window Sash Hardware

Residential windows allow light into the home and provide a sizeable decorative element. However, inconvenience mounts when windows do not work as intended, and you might face the prospect of window repair. Although window hardware can include items that function around the window, like drapery rods and holdbacks, the hardware often centers around window sash hardware for window repairs. These components play a role in allowing the window to close and open easily. Understanding the function of the three common types of window sash hardware parts can help you in your endeavor to get your windows working correctly.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

1. Crank Handles

Sash windows have moveable parts that use a pulley system to allow the glass panels to slide over one another as they open and close. In contrast, hinges function as the pivot point for opening and closing casement windows. Furthermore, casement windows utilize crank handles to allow people to open and close the window easily. The handles consist of a rotating arm and a handle that gets grasped to unlock the window to open or close it. Many types of crank handles exist. For example, custom window hardware Rush NY experts might recommend specific sizes of arms and handles to best work with your unique window needs. Furthermore, they come in an assortment of metals and finishes to work with any interior decor style.

2. Cam Locks

Cam locks utilize a handle and hook mechanism that lock together, allowing you to secure your sliding window. A sash window cam lock often gets attached to the top of the moving glass panel to keep sash windows closed. Casement windows, which have only one sash, do not always utilize this locking mechanism, but other systems commonly exist for locking casement windows.

3. Lift Rails

Lift rails run across the horizontal expanse of the window sash and function to help open and close sash windows. On the other hand, crank handles more commonly serve the same purpose on casement windows.

Window repair professionals can offer expert guidance for the parts needed for your window repairs.