Cintas
and Ponemon
Institute are pleased to present the results of a study on the
Security of Document Shredding Services. The purpose of the study was to
determine current practices to secure sensitive documents during the
shredding and destruction process. In this study, 705 individuals
responsible for making decisions about the use of document shredding
services for their company were surveyed.
The following are the key findings from this research:
-
One-third of respondents do not have a policy for the secure
destruction of confidential documents.
-
Among those respondents who say their organization has a policy, more
than half (51 percent) say it does not cover the secure destruction of
hard drives.
-
While more than half (55 percent) train their employees on the secure
disposal of confidential documents, only 38 percent say they are
confident that the training helps ensure the secure disposal of
confidential documents.
-
The primary reason for using an outside shredding service to destroy
and shred confidential information is because respondents believe it
is more effective than relying on employees to properly shred and/or
destroy confidential information.
-
The most important characteristics of vendors engaged to shred
confidential documents are: convenience, reputation and responsiveness
to urgent needs or requests.
“Based on Ponemon Institute research, organizations that do not take
precautions to dispose of confidential documents securely face the
likelihood of a data breach,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and
founder of Ponemon Institute. “Our recommendation is that organizations
establish clear guidelines and policies for the destruction of sensitive
documents and consider using a professional service such as Cintas to
make sure thieves cannot steal confidential business and personal
information.”
Participants in this research were also asked about the factors that are
important when selecting a document shredding service. According to the
findings, Cintas scored very well on the following factors:
-
They would recommend their vendor, (28 percent higher than the
competition).
-
Vendor offers offered smooth, worry-free service, (21 percent higher
than the competition).
-
Vendor provides a clear understanding of the security procedures used,
(23 percent higher than the competition).
-
The service offers good value, (21 percent higher than the
competition).
“It is the Cintas culture to always exceed our customers’ expectations,”
said Karen Carnahan, President and COO, Cintas Document Management. “We
believe that top of the line security, proper policies and procedures,
innovative technology and more than anything our people absolutely make
the difference.”
Ponemon Institute conducted this U.S. survey sponsored by Cintas during
the months of March and April 2013. The sample of qualified 705
respondents are employed by medium to larger-sized U.S. organizations in
more than 16 industry sectors. For complete survey methodology,
including weighting variables, please visit www.cintas.com/DMReport.
About Cintas Corporation:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly
specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout
North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate
identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning
and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid,
safety, fire protection products and services and document management
services for more than 1 million businesses. Cintas is a publicly held
company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol
CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.
About Ponemon Institute:
Ponemon Institute is dedicated to independent research and education
that advances responsible information and privacy management practices
within business and government. Our mission is to conduct high quality,
empirical studies on critical issues affecting the management and
security of sensitive information about people and organizations.
Copyright Business Wire 2013