Secure Confidential Document Management Guide

Every business holds some type of confidential document, which could be anything from company financial records to personal information about customers. These need robust protection to ensure compliance with GDPR and to minimise the risk of data breaches and penalties, even when in storage.

It’s important to remember that by keeping your documents secure–whether in a secure storage facility or not–your business is complying with GDPR regulations, reducing your risk of potential severe penalties and data breaches.

At Shredall SDS Group, we have over 29 years of experience with handling secure documents throughout their lifecycle, all the way to necessary long-term storage. We’ve put together this guide to give you the expert knowledge needed to protect your confidential documents and stay on the right side of complex regulations.

Make sure to keep data protection policies up to date

Keeping your company policies up to date is important to help safeguard the sensitive information your company holds, whether it’s paper-based or digital. This should include maintaining:

A clean-desk policy: Ensuring physical documents aren’t left unattended.
Stringent digital access: Limiting sensitive files to only those who truly need them.
Mandatory employee training: Keeping your team informed and vigilant.

While your data handling policy can be as simple or as detailed as your specific needs require, the most important factor is clarity. By establishing clear protection standards and providing straightforward training, you empower your employees to handle confidential documents with confidence and without confusion.

By implementing or updating your data protection policies you are certifying that no sensitive information is left exposed.

Find out if your confidential documents are truly secure

While we often focus on digital threats, physical documents remain a vital part of document security. Under GDPR, any physical record containing personal data must be handled with the same care as a digital file.

Here are some common examples of the types of paper format documents you need to comply with GDPR rules and regulations and keep secure:

Customer/Client Information
Anything that contains personal data e.g., names, address, email, telephone, etc.
HR files
Financial documents
Medical files

If you have any of the above documents, think about where they are kept and can they be easily found by malicious third parties. To secure them: use locked filing cabinets, ensure password protection for associated digital files, or follow a clean-desk approach, ensuring documents are always secured after use.

The benefits of off-site document storage

While taking steps to secure documents in the office is a great start, filing cabinets can quickly eat up valuable floor space. On-site storage can also expose documents to fire, flooding, theft, or accidental damage. Instead, consider secure off-site archiving. Often files need archiving if they are not needed daily but need to be kept long-term for GDPR purposes.

The best solution for archiving documents or creating space is to transfer your records from your office filing cabinets to a trusted secure off-site warehouse. As the UK’s largest independent information management provider, Shredall SDS Group offers:

Nationwide secure document storage with fire and flood protections
Archive retrieval services or on-demand scanning for instant digital access
Certified secure shredding, recycling 100% of shredded material

This solution frees up office space and ensures your records are available without compromising security.

Risks of storing archived documents on-site

Though keeping archives close at hand may seem convenient at the time, storing large volumes of paper on your site brings in several risks that can be difficult to manage within the standard office environment.

Fire: Paper is highly flammable; a single spark could devastate your records and act as a major fuel source.
Flooding: Pipe bursts or natural disasters can ruin irreplaceable documents, leaving them unreadable and beyond recovery.
Theft: If your office is compromised, stolen personal data can be used to facilitate ID fraud or business espionage.

If these physical files are your only copies, losing them to any of these events can be catastrophic. Moving your archives off-site isn't just about saving space—it’s about ensuring your most sensitive information is protected against the unexpected.

How to reduce risks and protect your confidential documents

Reducing your risk doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. By taking a proactive approach to your company’s policies and storage methods, you can ensure your data stays protected. We recommend starting with these three essential steps:

Implement strict clean-desk and secure handling policies: Establish clear guidelines so your team knows exactly how to prioritise and protect sensitive information at all times.
Digitise active files with document scanning and secure digital storage: Transitioning away from paper-heavy workflows reduces the physical footprint in your office and makes your data easier to manage securely.
Use off-site secure storage for long-term archive needs: For records you must keep for regulatory reasons, professional off-site facilities offer the highest levels of security, including advanced fire and flood protection.

Now is the perfect time to review your current company structure. By identifying which documents are most vulnerable and updating your handling procedures, you can build a more resilient, secure, and compliant business.

Choosing a Partner You Can Trust

When moving your confidential documents off-site, you need to know they’re in safe hands. It’s not just about space, it’s also about compliance, support and accountability.

Compliance and accreditations

At Shredall SDS Group, our commitment to security is backed by industry-leading accreditations. We don’t just claim to be secure, we’re independently verified:

ISO 27001 (Information Security): This is the gold standard. We were recently recertified under the 2022 standard, ensuring your data is protected by the most modern security frameworks available.
ISO 9001 & 45001: These ensure that our quality management and health and safety standards are consistently high, providing you with a reliable, professional service every time.
Legal Peace of Mind: Our certified credentials and waste licenses affirm our legitimacy, significantly reducing your legal exposure and ensuring you meet all GDPR requirements.

Supporting your unique document lifecycle

We do more than just store archive boxes. We act as an extension of your own compliance team by providing:

Policy alignment: Their services align with your clean-desk, GDPR, and archiving policies.
Full audit trails: From the moment we collect your documents to the second they are scanned or destroyed, you receive comprehensive documentation for your records.
On-demand digitisation: If you need a file urgently, you don't have to wait. We can scan and deliver any document straight to your desktop instantly.
Infrastructure you can rely on: Your archives are kept in fire-safe and flood-resistant facilities, offering a level of protection that standard office environments simply cannot match.

Final takeaways: Protecting your business & its documents

Ensuring confidentiality is more than just a best practice—it’s a legal necessity. To recap:

Mitigate risk: Move archives off-site to protect against fire, flooding, and theft.
Go digital: Leverage scanning services to reduce your reliance on physical paper.
Partner with a proven leader: Don’t leave your compliance to chance. Partnering with a fully accredited provider like Shredall SDS Group gives you the benefit of:

Comprehensive regulatory coverage: We handle every aspect of ISO standards, PCI DSS, Cyber Essentials, and waste regulations, so you don’t have to.
Sustainability you can verify: Your security doesn’t have to cost the earth. Our services are backed by verified carbon neutrality pledges (PAS 2060) and a commitment to 100% paper recycling.
End-to-End legal assurance: From the moment of collection to the final audit trail, we support your legal compliance through strict, secure handling protocols.

Ready to review your document policy? Visit our compliance page to download our resources on GDPR and Carbon Reduction, or contact us today for a tailored quote and compliance pack.