Shredding your own documents, daily and on site has never been more important than right now. With incidents of identity theft and corporate spying increasing by the day, there is no time like to present to begin to protect yourself as well as your customers, clients and employees. On top of that, there are now federal laws in place that require businesses to destroy certain kinds of documents before discarding them. If you are in the market for a paper shredder for your office, your head may well be swimming with questions regarding the levels of security offered by different types of shredders. Here is a brief overview of the four main levels of security offered by most of the well-known manufacturers of paper shredders. 1. Strip Cut Shredders: Also known as straight cut shredders, these machines offer the lowest level of security of all the shredders out there. As such, it seems that this type of shredder is becoming increasingly uncommon on the market. As you may have guessed from the name, these shredders cut paper into long strips. Although these strip cut shredders make it extremely difficult to piece documents back together. With computer software it is conceivable that someone could place the strips of paper together and recreate the document you intended to destroy. 2. Cross Cut Shredders: The next level up in security, these shredders cut your documents into smaller sized, confetti-like chips. Also known as confetti cut shredders or diamond cut shredders, these machines offer a step up in security from strip cut paper shredders. The size of the cut varies with the manufacturer and machine, and it goes without saying that smaller sizes are better as far as security is concerned. 3. Micro Cut Shredders: These are perhaps best thought of as cross cut shredders on steroids. They use the same basic cutting method as cross cut, but the shreds that emerge are much smaller, and thus much harder for anyone to reassemble than a standard cross cut. 4. DOD/NSA High Security Shredders: The stuff of spy films, these types of shredders are required to be used at the highest levels of government such as the Department of Defense, and the National Security Administration. These document shredders are actually a type of cross-cut paper shredder. However, the particles that they create are so small, you won't be able to identify any text on them. By far the most expensive document shredders on the market, these are also without a doubt the most secure. Now that you know a little bit about the four different types of paper shredders, we hope you can make a more informed purchase. As you are shopping and weighing cost versus the level of security you believe you will need, keep in mind that there are software programs in existence that can somehow virtually piece documents back together on a computer screen. However, the smaller the pieces your shredder is able to cut your documents into, the harder it will be for those programs to work. Other factors to keep in mind are that as the level on security increases, so does the price of most machines. These are all important factors to consider as you shop around for the right shredder for your needs.
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