Data breaches are coming in waves these days and in many forms. Unfortunately, as Facebook found out in April 2019, the results can be significant. That breach exposed the data of 533 million users and cost Facebook 5 billion dollars. It was one of many reported by prominent companies in recent years.
Yet, cyber hacks are only one thing. Another primary driver of data compromise is outdated or obsolete IT assets. How enterprises handle the disposal of their obsolete or surplus technology assets can have ripple effects far beyond equipment and service costs.
WHY IT ASSET DISPOSITION (ITAD) IS NECESSARY
Companies are more rigorously investing in data security to mitigate cyber risks; however, here are a few critical reasons for including ITAD (IT Asset Disposition) in your data security plan:
- New technology – faster processing speeds and expanded storage capacities lead to shortened product life cycles, fueling a need to refresh more frequently.
- Datacenter decommissioning – security protocol requirements may include hard drive destruction after moving from on-premises to data center servers.
- Risks associated with obsolete hardware – can drive up costs while leading to equipment failure, downtime, and compromised data.
- Federal and state regulations – to avoid hefty fines, it is crucial to comply with e-waste disposal guidelines.
- Value recovery – assets that are no longer needed or have lost their usefulness can be remarketed (sold) or donated to recover value that can be applied to IT costs.
YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL
Data security, environmental compliance, and regulatory compliance are the driving factors for an ITAD program. However, if done well, recovering value from your retired assets is an added benefit. If your refresh goes to plan, all your assets will be wiped successfully, and everyone will be on their merry way. However, sometimes IT devices do not always cooperate. During the initial wiping process, there is a chance that a hard drive cannot be wiped for various reasons, thus requiring an additional data destruction process. No matter your data wipe project’s scale, having a shredding truck on hand for a few failed drives is not practical. However, a manual hard drive crusher is incredibly useful for one-off assets or modest quantities of hard drives.
HOW CRUSHING WORKS
Crushing is an effective hard drive destruction method using force to fold or puncture an SSD (Solid State Drive) or the rotating plate of a hard drive, delivering “catastrophic trauma,” rendering the drive useless. This process can be carried out on-site at an office or data center using a manual lever hard drive crusher.
BENEFITS OF CRUSHING
- Can be done in just about any facility
- Little to no distracting noises
- Little to no mess
- Quick and cost-effective
- Renders drive non-functional
- Decreases risk of data loss while in transit
In addition, while the hard drive is destroyed, the asset itself can be remarketed to recover value, which may offset processing costs.
FOR RESPONSIBLE DATA DESTRUCTION, CRUSH IT ON-SITE
Responsible data destruction does more than help you avoid the dire consequences of a data breach. It can help you create a reliable audit trail, achieve environmental and regulatory compliance, and ultimately protect your reputation as a brand that takes data privacy seriously. Ideally, a certified ITAD service provider like Sipi Asset Recovery can help you do all these things quickly and cost-efficiently.
Sipi’s On-Site ITAD services provide the solution to reducing security risks, saving time and resources, and keeping your business fully compliant with necessary regulations and standards, all while delivering the maximum value for your ITAD program.
For any IT projects that could use an on-site technician, reach out to Sipi for a consultation.
