Getting The Shred Out

iShred, therefore, iAm
iShred, therefore, iAm
This truck shreds all documents on site. | Photo taken by Sara Arnold

Up until I was about 11, I’m pretty sure I thought identity theft was when a mini Dennis Quaid was inside your body telling you what to do. I definitely got that idea from watching Innerspace one too many times. Where was I viewing this movie? Why was I viewing it? These are things I’ll never know. But now, thanks to Information Security Awareness Week, I know where I can shred documents on campus for free to prevent the real kind of identity theft.

In its first year, Information Security Awareness week allows both students and faculty to shred important documents. However, most students just don’t have documents that need to be shredded. Quinn Shamblin, executive director of BU’s information security, recognizes that students aren’t necessarily in need of big shredding trucks. But it’s not just about doing; it’s about learning. According to Shamblin, information security is about helping people take care of important information and learning how to protect themselves.

“What information security is concerned about is helping people protect information—computers and paper,” says Shamblin. “Businesses are constantly generating information, and these days we still use paper for certain kinds of things and that paper needs to be properly destroyed when it’s no longer needed.”

Shredding bins
Students and faculty can come up to the bins and dump their unwanted documents. | Photo by Sara Arnold

For this event, students or faculty can walk up to a lock bin, toss in their sensitive materials and walk away. Information security takes care of the rest.  “We can add a little value here because we will stand here and accept customers stuff while it’s being destroyed. Everybody just bring whatever they want to bring; we will watch over it till it’s gone instead of having to have them stand there and watch it till it’s gone.”

If you missed getting the shred out today, you can go to the BU Medical Campus tomorrow from 9 a.m.-noon or the Babcock lot on Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon. For more information about information security, visit http://www.bu.edu/infosec/.

 

 

 

 

About Sara Arnold

Sara Arnold, COM '14, loves movies. She likes to think movies love her, too.

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