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print pageNAID Certification
Certified Verification Generator – Gilmore Services has Mobile & Plant-based Operations endorsed for Paper/Printed Media & Micro Media destruction Certification.
NAID Membership and Certification and How They Affect You
NAID AAA Certified vendors serve to limit your liability with regard to compliance with Federal Guidelines.
Understanding NAID is important in maintaining legal compliance. NAID enforces the highest standard of ethics for document destruction companies. NAID ensures all procedures meet strict criteria before they grant certification so membership alone is not enough. Using a NAID AAA Certified provider means you have used the necessary steps required under all regulatory guidelines to protect sensitive data for your clients, customers, patients, cardholders, etc.
Who is NAID and what AAA Certification means?
The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is the international trade association for companies providing information destruction services. Their mission is to promote personnel and procedural security and govern its members, their standards, and their ethics. Those members who go beyond just membership and commit to certification are the only real security assurance in the document destruction industry.
NAID is the only recognized source for security and ethics standards in the document destruction industry. Companies involved in the destruction of documents are eligible for membership, and more importantly, for certification. The difference between your potential vendor’s level of involvement with the association should be an important criteria in your decision making process.
Just because your vendor is a NAID Member DOES NOT MEAN they are certified!
The question about the differences between Membership and Certification is a very good one. This is because there are significant differences between the two when you are evaluating potential vendors for your secure document destruction programs. The member belongs to an organization that publishes comprehensive industry standards for the security of information; however, the organization that is certified has proven that they have obligated themselves to operate in strict accordance with these standards and their compliance is routinely and randomly evaluated.
Those organizations that are simply members are subscribing to a professional association. They have access to publications and security guidelines, and they are also included in the supplier directory. However, those organizations that choose to become certified are organizations that have committed significant resources to ensure the security of the information that they handle on behalf of their customers.
The process of becoming certified is extensive, and involves many operational commitments on the part of the certified vendor. The certification process requires that all employees undergo background investigations, that all employees receive comprehensive security training, and that operational procedures, and physical facilities incorporate multiple security safeguards. This includes both physical security measures, as well as operational and information security procedures. Further, NAID certification requires an initial third party conduct random operational audits, as well as ongoing audits to ensure compliance with all security guidelines and procedures. Those organizations that are simply members are not subject to any of these requirements.
If security and the proper application of “Reasonable Care” standards are important to your organization, then we would certainly recommend that you choose only NAID Certified vendors for your managed document destruction programs.
Criteria for certification
NAID endorses Gilmore Services because of our techniques and dedication to your security. Some of the reasons why NAID stands behind Gilmore Services are because we:
- conduct background checks prior to hiring new employees
- conduct a criminal record search on a county-by-county basis in each country the new employee has resided in the previous seven (7) years. We also verify employment of new applicants over the last seven (7) years.
- require new employees to sign confidentiality agreements
- require drivers to meet all applicable licensing requirements
- conduct drug screening on new employees at the time of hiring and random drug screening of all employees
- secure all customer materials from unauthorized access before destruction
- ensure all customer materials are contained during file transfer from customer custody to destruction vehicle to prevent loss from wind or other atmospheric conditions
- maintain written policies and procedures for drivers and assisting employees
- require employees to wear uniforms and picture ID badges
- ensure all customer materials remain secured and in the control and custody of the NAID member company agent until destroyed by shredding equipment
- require all vehicles used for transfer of client records meet USDOT regulations and have lockable cabs and cargo area
- require all paper shredded meets OEM specifications of: continuous shred, indefinite length and 5/8" cutter width or less
- conduct comprehensive third party background checks on owners and officers of our own company