African Document Destruction Company First to Receive International Certification
Cleardata – a group company of JSE-listed Metrofile Holdings – has been awarded the highest level industry certification from the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) for its document destruction services, making it the first and only African company to be awarded with international certification.
NAID is the international information destruction association and aims to uphold high standards and ethics for companies that operate within the information destruction industry.
According to Gianmarco Lorenzi, Managing Director of Cleardata, the AAA NAID certification is the gold standard for the paper shredding industry and is an important consideration for local businesses to bear in mind when selecting document destruction service providers. “Sound document destruction forms a critical role in compliance with various legislation – such as the Protection of Personal Information Bill – governing information management, thus is it vital for all organisations to ensure they are dealing with a reputable document destruction company to ensure regulatory requirements are met.”
The businesses of South Africa are fortunate to have a service such as Cleardata that is serious about their responsibilities to protect their clients information, says NAID CEO Robert Johnson. “By subjecting themselves to scheduled and surprise audits verifying compliance with NAID Certification specifications, Cleardata is confirming they meet or exceed the security requirements of virtually every data protection regulation around the world.”
Johnson says it is impressive to note that Cleardata is not only the first document destruction company that is a member of NAID on the African continent, but it is also the only African document destruction company that has official certification from NAID for its services. “In an increasingly global business environment it is imperative that international organisations that work with foreign businesses can be certain that the supplier they are working with follows best of breed practices on par with international standards.”
Lorenzi says the NAID Certification Programme involved a detailed audit of Cleardata’s operations – including employee hiring and screening, security levels, the destruction process, responsible disposal and insurance – which was conducted by US qualified Certified Security Professionals.
“Through the NAID membership and certification, Cleardata is able to remain on par with international standards and best practices. We are thrilled to have received AAA certification for the second year in a row,” says Lorenzi.
“Using the services of a trustworthy document destruction company is a critical risk mitigation tool that protects organisations from the damaging effects of corporate identity theft and the leaking of trade secrets to competitors, while also ensuring confidential client and employee information does not fall into the wrong hands,” says Lorenzi.
He says businesses which fail to implement effective information destruction practices could face severe legal, financial and reputational repercussions.
“In this highly competitive business environment, local organisations need to realise that carelessly discarding unwanted business documents may place an organisation under severe risk. By employing the services of a certified document destruction company, organisations can rest assured that critical company information remains protected,” concludes Lorenzi.
For more information on NAID visit www.naidonline.org.
