Data-centric businesses don't often give much thought to the qualifications of their paper shredding vendor.

Once a week or every few months, the paper shredder comes to the office. The driver waits by your door as you roll out your bin and wait for the empty container to drop from the hopper. Since the process is a fairly routine part of the business day, most companies don't give much thought to who's behind the wheel of the mobile shredding truck.

But a paper shredder is more than just a truck with a hopper full spinning blades. The operator of the shredding truck --- the driver, the paper handler, the one you've entrusted your financial and corporate documents to --- has often received little more training than the commercial driver license he or she possesses.

Your Shredder is Your Business.

Secure paper shredding is an integral part of safeguarding your business against data breaches, employee litigation and trade secrets, among other paper you manage on a day-to-day basis. If your paper shredding partner doesn't thoroughly train its mobile shredding employees, you could be unknowingly jeopardizing your company over sensitive information breaches.

Making sure your paper shredding company is fully licensed and certified in Document Security Officer training. All paper shredding company employees are required to undergo minimal training requirements and regular drug tests. But very few state and federal statutes govern the commercial paper shredding business.

Ask Questions About Certification.

You wouldn't trust an undertrained auto mechanic to change the timing belt in your car. Why should you trust your documents to anyone who isn't -- at a minimum -- trained in HIPAA compliance standards? If your paper shredding vendor balks at your training qualification questions, you should question your business relationship with the company.

The gold standard for document shredding and information management is Document Security Officer (DSO) certification training. Adopted by most FORTUNE 500 companies throughout the United States, Document Security Officers undergo rigorous operational reviews and ongoing training programs based on core manufacturing and process improvement principles.

How long have your document shredding employees been with your vendor company? If your shredding partner has consistent employee turnover, chances are, there could be operational concerns within the company. Also it could mean their mobile shredders are less qualified than they should be. Look for long-term employees who are courteous and provide consistent service with every visit.

A happy paper shredding employee is usually affiliated with a happy employer.