How businesses can ensure their data is disposed of correctly
Having a strategy for reliably erasing data is essential especially when managing data securely.
When data is deleted, yes, it is no longer accessible by the application that created it or the operating system, however, deleting the file is still not enough. Data destruction software must instead be used to overwrite the space with random data until it is irretrievable.
The most important thing to any business is its data, which is why when it comes to the time of needing it to be discarded, along with old IT equipment and resources you’ll want to make sure professionals erase it correctly, guaranteeing all the data your staff has managed to enable your business to grow is still protected. Due to the many dangers of free IT asset disposal, you’ll want to invest in a well-experienced company to reliably dispose of it all for you.
Three of the most successful procedures for data disposal are Data Wiping, Data Shredding, Data Granulator, and Data Degaussing. When a combination of these methods has been used is when the most successful results are made. Most services are able to locate and carry out these procedures at your own location or they can even complete the tasks at their own facilities so as not to intervene with anyone at your workplace.
Data Wiping
Data wiping, also known as data erasure, is a software method where overwriting of data is used to completely destroy all residing electronic data on a hard drive or other digital media. By overwriting the data on the storage device using zeros and ones, the data will be rendered unrecoverable, achieving data sanitisation.
Data Shredding
A data shredder is a data destruction utility that is designed to securely erase a digital storage device or hard disk, completely removing the data on them and making it unrecoverable. This software also utilises an overwrite method of destroying data.
Data Degaussing
Degaussing is the process of eliminating or decreasing a magnetic field. It is named after gauss, a unit of magnetism, which was then named after Carl Friedrich Gauss. It’s used to reduce magnetic fields in cathode monitors and the destruction of data on magnetic storage like hard drives, floppy disks, and magnetic tape. Degaussing, commonly known as erasure, leaves the domains in random patterns with no preference for orientation, meaning the previous data will become unrecoverable. Proper degaussing will ensure there’s insufficient magnetic remanence to reconstruct any data.
I cannot express enough the importance of investing in a reliable, trustworthy company to dispose of your data, who are professional in this field with years of experience and knowledge of key data disposing of processes. You may feel as though a low-cost service is the better option as it means you’ll still get the job done whilst also saving money, however, these savings you make now will only add to the reason why you’ll have security risks in the future. Never chose a free IT disposal company over a reputable, professional company. Always pay for quality. So, do your research on the company you’ll be investing in and make sure they have all the qualifications needed for this field of work to avoid any risks to your data!
