Data Destruction: Vital For Business Security
Your business data may no longer be of value to you once you have done what you need to do with it, but it is valuable to your competitors. That is why any media, from paper to Flash memory cards, that contains business data must be thoroughly destroyed before disposal.
The risks of disposal of media containing data that you may believe has been destroyed but has really just been erased include putting yourself or your customers at risk for identity theft as well as making data available to unscrupulous competitors. Even recycling a computer to comply with WEEE recycling regulations does not include proper data destruction techniques.
These techniques include degaussing, in which magnetic patterns that conform to actual data are realigned so that the data is inaccessible and unrecoverable, shredding, which entails shredding media into very fine bits that cannot be reassembled, and software wiping, in which all HEX values on the entire volume of a disk are overwritten using special software. In the United States, such software must meet Department of Defense standards to be considered effective for data destruction.
Computers, including internal hard disk drives and other internal media storage devices, must be recycled according to WEEE regulations (EU). However, if data remains available on any part of the device before, during or after WEEE recycling procedures, it still poses a threat to your business security. Therefore, devices that hold data and are subject to WEEE recycling regulations must undergo a thorough process of data destruction before recycling can take place.
Hard drive destruction is absolutely imperative before WEE recycling can start. This is because even when a disk drive is thoroughly erased, the information on it can be recovered and made available without your knowledge. Ensuring that an expert with security cleared personnel destroys the hard drive by methods such as degaussing and shredding is the only way you can be sure that any data that was ever available on a drive that is slated for disposal can never be accessed again. Software wiping is recommended only for hard disk drives that will be reused after the data stored on them is fully destroyed.
Media tape drives are also easily accessible if they are not fully and professionally destroyed prior to disposal. Degaussing and shredding are the most recommended techniques for destruction of media tape drives.
Even CD's and DVD's which contain sensitive and confidential data should never be disposed of without making the data completely inaccessible. Complete physical destruction of the media through precision shredding that is offered by professional media disposal firms is the only way to ensure that data on a CD or DVD is fully inaccessible.
Flash memory cards, external memory sticks, and similar devices must also be subject to data destruction measures if they have ever held sensitive data. A specialist firm which handles data destruction should be consulted regarding such memory devices as their small size makes it very easy for them to end up in the wrong hands.
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For more information about WEEE recycling visit http://uk.simsrecycling.com/weee-recycling-services
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