NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 06/08/2006 - The Canadian chapter of the National Association of Information Destruction experiences significant growth in 2006.

The National Association of Information Destruction’s Canadian chapter (NAID Canada) continues to experience unprecedented success in 2006. The latest example was the strong Canadian contingent present at the annual International NAID conference in Phoenix during the period of May 14-16. In all 60 Canadians representing 16 Canadian firms attended NAID’s premier annual event.

Bob Johnson, the Executive Director for NAID commented. “NAID Canada has grown consistently every year. It was great to see such a large number of Canadian firms participate in the international NAID conference this year. The fact that so many Canadians participated so soon after the NAID Canada conference in Toronto is a real testament of their commitment to the information destruction industry.”

The NAID Canada event held at the Yorkville Marriott in Toronto was also a great success as it had significantly greater attendance numbers than in previous years. Even more noteworthy was the composition of the attendees. According to Mr. Johnson, “In previous years the majority of people in attendance were industry professionals such as service providers or equipment manufacturers. This year the consumer portion was the highest it has ever been. In fact the consumers outnumbered the various industry professionals and NAID members considerably.”

Despite their success Mr. Johnson believes NAID Canada’s presence will continue to grow in the Canadian market, not just in terms of membership but also as a resource for government organizations to utilize when formulating legislation. “Over the last several years NAID Canada has developed strong relationships with Provincial and Federal privacy officials. We were especially pleased to be invited to participate in the PHIPA summit. Forming these relationships and participating in such events bodes well for NAID Canada and its members.” Even though NAID Canada has established these relationships Mr. Johnson believes there is still work to be done in this area. “There have been several high profile incidents of casual disposal of both computers and paper over the last few months and in response, NAID Canada expects the Canadian government to promulgate national legislation require the destruction of discarded personal information. Many states in the US have recently produced such requirements and it appears the US Federal government will also soon take this step.”

Legislation aside, Mr. Johnson believes implementing secure information destruction practices presents an opportunity for Canadian organizations. “Firms may look at information destruction as a tedious irritant or even worse as a cost not worth the expense. In reality adopting secure information destruction practices is a tremendous way of instilling consumer confidence in your organization. In this day and age information is often the most vital resource a firm possesses. Failing to destroy information at the end of its lifecycle is like playing with fire.”

About NAID Canada

The National Association for Information Destruction Canada (NAID Canada) is a non profit association of service providers dedicated to upholding the highest professional and ethical standards regarding information disposal. NAID Canada is committed to increasing awareness of business decision makers and government policymakers on the need for the proper destruction of discarded information.

Agency / Source: dataXile

Availability: All Regions (Including Int'l)

Traffic Booster: [/] Quick Newswire Today Visibility Checker

Distribution / Indexing: [+]