10 Ways to Use Shredding to Keep Your Business Safe From Corporate Espionage

11/5/2009 - Business Though it may sound a little bit "cloak and dagger," corporate spying is a huge, billion dollar problem that presents a certain amount of danger for almost any size business. There are many ways to keep your strategic and competitive information secure, but no option is better than on site document shredding. You may be asking yourself what documents need to be shredded in order to best protect yourself, and you might be surprised at the ways that certain information can be used against you. Here then is a list of documents that your business should ensure are kept safe, and properly destroyed when no longer in use. It goes without saying that in most cases, an original of the document in question should be kept under lock and key, and that any copies used for meetings, memos, etc. are the ones that should be destroyed by shredding.

1. Marketing Plans and Objectives: If your business has come up with an innovative way to reach its customers, the last thing you want is to find that one of your competitors has gotten to them first.

2. Operating Expenses: This is a big one. If your competitors know how you are spending your money, they can beat you to the punch when it comes to marketing, vendors, and suppliers. And of course, the last thing you want any of your competitors to know is your business' salary structure.

3. Pricing Information and Structure: Again, you can just imagine the advantage you would give up to your competition if they somehow obtained information on how you currently price, or plan on pricing, your goods and services. Keep your margin your business.

4. Sales goals and strategies: If your competitors know how you are going to attack them, they have already won the game. Keep that information safe by putting it in the shredder yourself. Also check copiers and the surrounding areas periodically for any documents that shouldn't be seen outside your chosen circle.

5. Patent and Trademark Information: This includes forms that have been filled out and not filed yet, any patent and trademark search request forms, patent disputes, studies and patent pending documentation. It should do without saying how important it is to keep this information within the castle walls.

6. Prototype Documentation: Innovation is almost always a key to success, and keeping your drawings, plans and other documents safe is of utmost importance.

7. Engineering Specifications: The way your product is made is nobody's business but yours.

8. Expired Contracts with Customers And Vendors: Once they are no longer in effect, expired contracts should be destroyed. These contracts often contain valuable sensitive information that you wouldn't want to end up in the wrong hands.

9. Research and Testing Documentation: This goes for marketing, products and manufacturing. Why put your hard work at risk of being used by someone else? Competitive research, test results and other important information needs to be guarded closely so that it doesn't get used against you.

10. Legal Claims: There is no question that you, and only you, want to be in control of the details regarding any claims or settlements you have had to make. If your competitors get hold of that kind of information, there is no telling what kind of damage they could cause.