In an age where identity and credit card theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. - thanks to still-shaky Internet security and the ease of finding information in your trash - simple shredding of paper into 6mm (1/4 inch) strips may not do the job.

There’s always a balancing act to be performed between the time, money and effort spent in securing information versus the sensitivity of the data. And, considering that 70% of identity theft still occurs offline, with 30% online, you’ll need to protect yourself in both arenas.

For data that isn’t particularly sensitive or potentially money-making for criminals, it’s hardly worth much more than tearing and tossing the paper. For credit cards a good pair of scissors and disposal into separate bins may be enough to satisfy some consumers. Creating difficult-to-decode passwords and changing them from time to time is the minimum online procedure needed.

But as the sources of data and safeguards grow, so does the cleverness and persistence of criminals who would victimize the innocent and unwary. Nothing is completely foolproof to the truly determined and resourceful, but make it hard on them.

Tipping the cost-benefit ratio heavily in your favor doesn’t have to be ridiculously difficult or expensive. Make it costly for them to take advantage of you and they’ll bypass you in favor of easier targets.

Fortunately, there are available today a blizzard of devices to secure your information.

Before you shred a paper document, you typically need to keep it for a while. Special safes are for sale in a variety of price ranges, with various levels of security. Some are as simple as a locked cabinet, others more like heavy-duty safes. Many models allow inserting documents through a slot, on their way to being shredded.

Combination document disposal and shredders can be had for anywhere from a hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on your volume and security needs. Some inexpensive models are lightweight enough to be easily walked off with. Not a good choice, since any lock can be broken given enough time and persistence. Others offer hinges or other mechanisms to easily tip and dispose of the shredded material.

Since shredded paper consumes more volume than the initial documents, it can be handy to have a compactor, often called a baler, similar to those used for decades to compact home trash. How effective they are depends partly on the kind of cutting done - strip or cross-cut or particle - but also heavily on the power of the motor and gears.

Beyond simple strip or cross-cutting, your security needs may require something closer to industrial level. Pulverizers and disintegrators go beyond simple strip or square production. These machines either finely chop or actually turn paper into powder by repeated cross-cutting, mashing and grinding.

Paper, of course, isn’t the only form in which documents are stored these days and there are machines to handle those other media types as well.

Some shredders can also handle CDs and DVDs, floppies and even video tapes. Degaussers can erase hard drives and tapes used to electronically store information. Some degaussers come in the form of simple hand wands passed over the media. There are also more advanced devices that perform chemical decomposition for the truly paranoid.

Beyond document and media destruction, you may need some kind of post-material handling services. Mobile or self-delivered services can add another layer of security and confidentiality. Those businesses take waste and securely dispose of shredded or other materials.

Whatever choice you make, pick the form that meets your budget by all means. But remember, it’s much less expensive to pay a little insurance up front than to pay the cost of identity and data theft after the fact.

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