It is so hard to convince business people that it is not a good idea to keep unused data containing devices (like hard drives) stored around the office. One phone contractor recently mentioned that a bank client was doing just that – holding onto outdated or non-working hard drives that were stacking up around the office. Think about all the consumer information that could be stored on those hard drives – this is a data breach or compliance fine just waiting to happen.
Often times company managers and IT professionals want to hold onto hard drives because they are concerned they might need to pull information from them at a later time. If that’s the case, then to be compliant find a lockable closet or office and lock up the hard drives. Designate, in writing, the people who will have access to the locked location, and be sure they are the only ones who have a key for access.
But a better policy would be to retrieve any data you need from the hard drives as soon as possible and have the data on the hard drives properly destroyed and then responsibly recycled.
Other times, company managers aren’t sure how to responsibly dispose of the hard drives, or their IT employees don’t have the time or tools to properly destroy the data on the hard drives. In addition, there may be concerns about the costs associated with hard drive data destruction.
All of these concerns can be addressed by using a hard drive data destruction specialist who can:
- pick up unwanted data containing devices, including hard drives.
- use approved software to wipe data or
- physically destroy the hard drives
- provide certification of hard drive data destruction
Data breaches caused by the loss or theft of unused data containing devices is probably one of the easiest kinds of breaches to prevent – protect your unused data containing devices by keeping them locked up, and then get the devices to a data destruction specialist as soon as possible! Fines for non-compliance when it comes to data handling can be assessed whether or not there was a data breach – companies can be levied hefty fines simply for not handling their data containing devices properly – like the bank with stacks of loose hard drives sitting around the office.
We provide data destruction services for companies and organizations of all sizes – sometimes at no charge. Don’t risk a data breach or being fined for non-compliance – set up a compliance plan and get your unwanted data containing devices picked up for data destruction right away. Contact us to find out how we can help you with your data destruction needs.