Almost all businesses have large amounts of data in various locations – computers, backups, on the cloud, and even on mobile devices. All that data needs to be managed securely – in storage, in transit, and at the end of its lifecycle. Most companies are legally obligated to destroy any sensitive information they are no longer using.
What makes data destruction secure?
A hard wipe is a method of securely deleting data off a storage device without leaving a trace of data. In today’s world, hard drive wipes are becoming a necessity. The process of a hard drive wipe ensures that data is properly removed – protecting personal, business, and client data when devices are recycled or retired. So, why do a hard drive wipe?
When you delete a file off a hard drive that file is marked as deleted; but it continues to occupy data space (the computer considers that space as “available for use”). However, this “deleted” data can still be recovered and, if in the wrong hands, can be used to exploit you and your customers. If your business ever accepts customer payments using credit card information or account numbers, this information gets stored on your device…
Our point? Don’t just throw away an old computer when it’s become outdated – it likely has sensitive information stored that you shouldn’t risk falling into the hands of a jerk with a rotten agenda.
How does a hard drive wipe work?
It’s pretty simple, really. When a drive is wiped, the existing data is overwritten with random data; this process is often done multiple times to ensure the old data is no longer available.
At Kitsap Networking Services and Sequim I.T., we offer data destruction and recycling services. If you drop off an external drive to us, we will do a government standard media sanitization (data wipe/clean). Once the sanitization is done, we will give you a PDF report certifying that is has been wiped properly. If you want the drives back, we will have this report available when you come to pick up the drives; otherwise we can recycle the hard drive for you.
If you have any old PC’s gathering dust in your back office, or just replaced your old office computers, we’d love to help out! Give our office a call today: 360-516-6741.