Today’s business world puts more emphasis on technology than ever before. The act of running most businesses that exist today wouldn’t even be possible without technology. The heart of technological innovation is a constant flow of progress and innovation. That means that from time to time it will be time to upgrade your hardware and storage solutions for the latest and greatest on the market. With outdated tech that you used to use to run your business, what’s the best way to dispose of it safely, and most importantly, securely?
If you upgrade computer equipment and the accompanying accessories, then there’s a process to properly disposing of the hardware to keep your business safe from data breaches. Even a recycled computer or retired tablet could hold information that cybercriminals could use to infiltrate your new, upgraded hardware. Simply put, deleting info from a hard drive doesn’t eliminate the threat of a data leak. Here’s how to properly retire technology for your business to keep yourself safe from IT threats.
Meeting Technology Disposal Compliance Guidelines
When you decide it’s time to upgrade your tech, there are some careful considerations to make before simply recycling your old devices and accessories. Overall, the concern your business must consider is traces of sensitive data that could leave your business employees vulnerable to harm. Sensitive data is considered to be a wide array of information that we often consider our most private, including:
● Social Security Number
● Email addresses and phone numbers
● Addresses
● Banking information
● Passwords related to business servers and storage
If you delete info from your hard drive or reformat it to factory settings, this does not completely remove the data you’ve stored on it previously. The information is still recoverable when in the hands of someone who knows the ins and outs of digital file storage. Unfortunately, many of the people with those skills use their knowledge for malice. Many states have gone so far as to invoke standards for proper technology disposal. The process helps businesses avoid costly hacking experiences.
Don’t let the threat of improper technology disposal frighten you out of a technology upgrade. The solution is simply to follow the proper guidelines for making your hard drives and tech indecipherable for hackers when you recycle them for new hardware. Here are the steps you should take to properly recycle your hardware and earn peace of mind that hackers won’t be able to access old information.
How to Properly Destroy Sensitive Data from Old Technology
The agreed-upon process of destroying sensitive data to protect businesses includes a three-pass sanitization process. The Department of Defense has a method many businesses rely on that takes the necessary measures to ensure hard drives hold no information that could lead back to a hack for a business or individual.
The DoD utilizes a series of code built with zeroes, ones, and a random character to completely change what the hard drive is storing. Three passes focusing entirely on zeroes, ones, and a random character change what the hard drive is storing to essentially cleanse it of any other info. This process helps to ensure every inch of the digital storage system is void of any sensitive data that could cause your business a headache down the road.
You can also rely on a service provider to perform the cleanse for you. Many IT and cloud hosting companies take even further steps to ensure total data destruction. It’s crucial that you find a provider you trust for this process. Ensure that the company you choose does all work on-site, meets DoD standards for data destruction, and offers transparency in the process to protect your personal info.
Recycling Processes for Physical Hardware
Destroying your digital data is one step of proper technology disposal. Another crucial element is the recycling of physical hardware. With more technology on the planet now than ever before, electronic recycling requirements ensure that the hardware does contribute to the already excessive amount of technology waste around the world.
If brought to a proper site that specializes in hardware recycling, you can ensure that your old technology doesn’t contribute to overflowing landfills. Many outdated pieces of tech can even be recycled for parts that can be reintroduced to the manufacturing process. Many parts to computers and their accessories, including metals and plastics, can be reused when disposed of by a proper recycling organization.
With your data securely removed from the hardware and the physical technology properly recycled, you can move onto your new tech with peace of mind. The standards set in place to ensure data leaks are limited and the environmental impact of technology disposal is limited help ensure technology can continue to make a positive impact on the world. When done properly, you can enjoy the latest in technology without worrying that your outdated hardware poses a data liability to your business or a burden to the Earth.
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