If you run a business, you likely have access to or generate sensitive or private information that only authorized staff can view. Whether it’s trade secrets, personal information, financial records, or something else, the records should be destroyed after serving their purpose. Whether that means shredding, pulping, incineration, or some other destruction method, there must also be proof of destruction. When you hire an outside company to destroy records, they should prove the job is done with a certificate of destruction. Here are four benefits of having one for your business.

Certificate of destruction specifics

What exactly is a certificate of destruction? In short, it’s an official document provided by the company stating what was destroyed, when it was destroyed, how it was destroyed, and that it was destroyed according to their rules. In short, it provides all the details of the information’s annihilation; it also proves the company requesting the destruction acted with due consideration and diligence. Here are a few more reasons why a certificate of destruction is necessary for your business:

Legal compliance

Hundreds, if not thousands, of rules cover the protection of certain kinds of information. For example, healthcare information is covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), protecting patients’ healthcare information from misuse or viewing by unauthorized individuals. According to HIPAA, a properly disposed of health record must be “unreadable, indecipherable, and otherwise unable to be reconstructed.” Certificates of destruction reveal that this is the case and that the record destruction company followed all necessary procedures, protecting it from legal issues and lawsuits.

Protecting sensitive information

When you receive a certificate of destruction after destroying physical records of information, it assures you that that information is gone for good. A certificate of destruction protects your intellectual property, as well. With this certificate, you avert data breaches, unauthorized access, and the potential for extortion, blackmail, and black and grey market dealings.

Building trust

Customers, employees, and the surrounding community need to know they can trust your company with their personal information. Certificates of destruction show you are committed to keeping data secure and private matters private. If current and potential customers and clients know you’re committed to keeping their information safe, even after that information is no longer necessary, your reputation will skyrocket!

Staying green

Some customers and clients worry about the environment, and you should too. A certificate of destruction showing that the disposal methods were eco-friendly appeals to these people. Keeping poison out of the water supply and soil, reducing carbon emissions, and recycling and reusing materials like paper, plastic, and metal are a few examples of environmentally conscious information destruction.

Those are just four benefits of having a certificate of destruction for your business. When you work with a document or other material destruction company, be sure to ask for a certificate of destruction in advance!