DataSafe News & Information

Tax return form, glasses, calculator and dollars on table

Shredding Best Practices for Tax Day & Year-Round

Tax Day in the USA Tax Day in the U.S. is Tuesday, April 15, 2025, marking the deadline to file your income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If you’re an American living abroad, you have until June 16, 2025, to file and pay your taxes. Interestingly, federal tax returns were not always…

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Crossroad signpost saying this way, that way, another way.

Deciding What to Keep, Scan & Shred

If you’ve ever done a spring clean, you’ve likely encountered different strategies to make the process more effective. One common approach is to create sorting piles: “keep,” “donate,” “recycle/trash,” or “sell.” The goal is to declutter and become more organized. Similarly, managing documents in the office or home with a structured plan enhances efficiency and…

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Hand using laptop computer with virtual screen and document for paperless online approval

Reducing Paper Dependence in the Year Ahead

A Brief History of Paper The story of paper begins about three thousand years ago in ancient Egypt, where early forms of paper were crafted using rushes that grew along the Nile River. By the 2nd century AD, the Chinese improved upon this method by grinding mulberry bark and cotton to create paper for the…

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Business professionals are seated around a board room table during a meeting.

Employee Training: Building a Fraud-Aware Workforce

Your employees can be your first line of defense against fraud. Organizations that implement anti-fraud training programs experience fewer and less-costly losses, quicker resolution of fraud cases, and a stronger reputation for customer protection, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Training employees to recognize and respond to fraud is an investment in…

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Patients are sitting in a doctor's waiting room.

Myths about HIPAA Compliance

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted in 1996, establishes crucial privacy rules that prohibit healthcare providers and businesses, known as covered entities, from disclosing protected information without the patient’s consent. This information can only be shared with the patient and their authorized representatives. However, misunderstandings and myths about HIPAA often arise, leading…

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Binders and folders with archive documents are lined up along shelves in a storage room.

Simplify Tax Season with a File Room Purge

You’ve probably heard Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote, “…in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” While we can’t escape taxes, we can certainly make tax season less daunting with proper preparation. The term “purge” encompasses many things, all involving the removal of unwanted, outdated, or harmful items. When it comes to your files,…

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DataSafe shredding services in Portland, OR implementing a clean desk policy

How to Implement a Clean Desk Policy During COVID

For many of us, remote working is here to stay. Whether it’s full time, or a hybrid model, it’s important to be proactive and firmly establish your business’s security policies and procedures. Since your staff will most likely still be spending some of their workweek at home, it’s important to establish a Clean Desk Policy,…

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cartoon of man with his head on a desk in Portland OR

5 Ways To Make Your Workspace Less Claustrophobic

Offices can easily feel cluttered and claustrophobic, which increases stress on employees and reduces productivity. No matter if you’re back in the office or you’re working from home (or a combination of the two!), a few steps can improve the appearance and overall feeling of your workspace.   Mental health and clutter Studies indicate strong links…

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DataSafe shredding services in Portland, OR can help with flooded business documents

My Business Flooded: What Do I Do With The Water Damaged Documents?

Oregon may be in a drought but that doesn’t mean we can’t experience flooding. Commercial flooding can occur during the winter rains or due to broken or leaking pipes. Unfortunately, businesses can be hit with major damage when there’s flooding. If boxes of business documents and files were destroyed or damaged by flooding, what you should…

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Writing a check to DataSafe shredding services in Portland, OR

How Can A Professional Shredding Service Improve Your Company’s Bottom Line?

Savvy business owners and managers know that document shredding is a necessity. After all, it’s the only way to reliably and safely get rid of sensitive data and documents that aren’t needed. But what’s the best way to actually shred these documents? That’s where many managers make an error – they use an in-house shredding…

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