Let’s face it – your business in Fort Worth can’t afford a massive data leak. No business is equipped to handle such a disaster. Not only is it costly, but it can also significantly cost you your customers’ loyalty.
To ensure that sensitive information does not linger where it can easily be picked up by malicious parties, many companies have gone from simply clearing out data to physically destroying the entire hard drive.
Does this sound a little drastic? Well, there are some real benefits to going this route. Here is what hard drive shredding may be the best option:
Why Shred Electronics?
Studies have shown that up to 78% of all wiped drives still contain accessible data. In the rapidly advancing world of data recovery, it is nice to know that there is one way to ensure that data can never be pieced together by even the craftiest of thieves. That is by shredding it all together.
Hole punching and bending hard drives may be quicker methods, but they are far from foolproof. It’s too easy to leave a large chunk of data unchanged, and that little bit of data may be all someone needs to wreak havoc.
With shredding, the hard drive is completely destroyed along with all the data it contains, making this method compliant with both HIPAA and NIST 800-88 regulations. What’s more, on-site shredding is one of the most secure forms of data destruction, because the process is so thorough.
Take the Data Where It Can’t Be Found
Most data sanitization firms ship shredded hard drives to a recycling center. That is good news considering that landfills like the DFW in Lewisville are reaching capacity. Remember: there are a lot of reclaimable materials in old drives.
Warning: Do Not Attempt Hard Drive Shredding Alone
Occasionally, there are stories of ambitious business owners who try destroying their company’s hard drives on their own. Frequently, they have done this with their own computer, so they assume it is not a difficult feat. Unfortunately, this can be quite risky.
On a corporate scale, it is very time-consuming, lacks compliance documentation, repeatedly exposes you to toxins, and can potentially violate health codes. In all likelihood, you will create a mess that will cost more to clean up than if you had initially gone with a professional service.
Here are some other things you should keep in mind as you make arrangements to shred a hard drive:
Hard Drive Shredding Process
Either your staff or your data destruction company has to take the drives out to a shredding truck once it arrives at your facility. In the case of third-party information, you are federally mandated to supervise destruction. This also guarantees your company’s IP maintains a monitored chain of custody.
A Thorough Hard Drive Scan
To help organize and verify exactly what data needs to be terminated, drives must be scanned and inventoried. This scan will be used to create a certification or report of destruction (see below). Serial numbers for the drive and its computer are both required identifiers for federal NIST 800-88 media sanitization compliance.
Drive shredders are basically the industrial version of paper shredders. In fact, they are one of the most thorough forms of tech destruction. That being said, they are not as speedy as the shredders by your desk. It takes roughly one hour to shred 500 drives.
An NIST 800-88 certificate of destruction requires serial numbers, make and model of drives, and source computers. It must also list the type and amount of digital data eliminated and include the company’s name, location, and representative who witnessed the destruction.
Above all else, remember: hard drive shredding is a permanent data destruction method. It also happens to be the most secure and likely the best bet for your growing Fort Worth Business. To learn more about hard drive shredding, reach out today.
You can also contact us for additional services such as data destruction, data security, decommissioning and liquidation, electronic recycling/commodity value processing, information technology asset disposition, paper shredding services and shredding services, and warehousing pallet storage, and added value services.