Every year there are more incidents of people’s personal information being stolen and used for nefarious purposes. Perhaps directly related, every year it gets more difficult to protect our personal information from getting into the wrong hands. If you’re the type of person that throws away corporate documents without shredding or tosses mail into the trashcan without thinking about what information may be at risk, this article is for you.

A data breach can put a company, all of its employees, and all of its customers at risk. There are dozens of forms and documents that contain private information such as bank records, medical records, employee files, and more. All of this data can be used in scams, fraud cases, identity theft, public embarrassment, monetary theft, corporate espionage, and more. Whether in a company setting or at home, it’s crucial that you take the necessary steps to protect important personal information such as salary information, addresses, social identification numbers, medical history, prescriptions, and more.

While we most often think of securing our personal data in online settings, it’s important to protect all physical data as well. It is just as easy for someone to go through your garbage and find discarded financial statements as it is for someone to hack into your online account with the same information. Though it is scary to imagine what could go wrong if the wrong person gets ahold of certain confidential and sensitive information, you can find a renewed sense of peace by using proven techniques to protect your data.

There are many avenues to take when protecting your personal information. Things like staying away from unsecured sites, not posting personal details on social media, using random and complex passwords, changing passwords regularly, clear hard drives and cellphones before trashing or selling them, and more. But what about physical data? The easiest way to secure your personal information on physical documents is through shredding. Once shredded, your information is indecipherable. While most individuals can purchase a small shredder for home use, companies need larger solutions. Companies like EnviroShred are the best option for larger companies needing employee files and customer information taken care of.