Shred-it is an information security solution provided by Stericycle Inc. Its services include document destruction, hard drive destruction, and specialty item shredding. The company is also known for its Annual Data Protection Report commissioned with Ipsos, a yearly survey of small business owners, C-level executives and consumers focusing on data protection and information security.
History
Greg Brophy founded Shred-it in 1988 and incorporated the company in 1989. In 1993, Brophy expanded the business by launching a manufacturing division called Securit Manufacturing Solutions "SMS". Today, SMS manufactures security consoles and specialty shredding trucks for all Shred-it’s branches. It also sells industrial shredding equipment to other secure information destruction businesses. In 2014, Shred-it merged with Cintas Document Shredding, which now operates under the Shred-it name. In 2015, Stericycle acquired Shred-it and began positioning the company as one of its many waste management and compliance services.
Secure Information Destruction Services
Document Destruction
Shred-it offers document destruction services where paper documents are shredded using industrial paper shredders. This service is offered on a one-time or on a recurring basis. Shred-it maintains a fleet of trucks that can provide this service on-site or deliver materials to Shred-it’s facilities for destruction. The trucks are prominently featured at Community Shred-it events, where Shred-it partners with organizations like Crime Stoppers, to raise awareness about identity theft and fraud, while providing a safe way to dispose of documents with confidential information. Shred-it provides a custom quote for every document destruction job and ensures all paper waste is recycled.
Hard Drive, Digital Media, and Specialty Item Destruction
Shred-it provides secure information destruction for hard drives and digital media. Deliberately damaging these devices is the only way to ensure confidential information can no longer be retrieved. Shred-it has two methods for securely destroying digital information. Shearing slices hard drives into miniscule pieces using 40,000 lbs of combined force while crushing uses 7,500 lbs of force pressure to drill irreparable holes in the hard drive, so information can never be recovered. The company also offers specialty item shredding, which involves destruction of any item that poses a threat to a business’ reputation or security. Shred-it’s specialty item services dispose of items, like uniforms to casino chips, ID badges, prototypes, pill bottles, or material with outdated branding.
Community involvement
''Community Shred-it'' Events
Shred-it partners with organizations like schools, credit unions, banks, and police departments to host Community Shred-itEvents. Attendees can shred their unwanted confidential documents and learn about best practices for preventing identity theft. These events are facilitated by local Shred-it branches and interested partners in their communities.
Shred-it for a cure events began in 2004. Participating Shred-it locations invite people to securely shred unwanted documents free of charge on designated days each month. Participants are encouraged to make a donation in lieu of paying for shredding services and proceeds are donated to local cancer charities.
Shred-it has partnered with the Times Square Alliance to host “Good Riddance Day” on December 28 in Times Square, New York City. At this event, the Shred-it team helps tourists and local community members say “good riddance” to their worst memories from the last year by shredding them. The event was inspired by a Latin American tradition for New Year’s in which participants set fire to dolls to rid themselves of the past year’s bad memories. “Good Riddance Day” winners in 2017 shredded bills from $25,000 of debt they had paid off.
