In this digital age, hard drives and other electronic storage devices have become an increasingly popular way of storing data as businesses move towards a paperless environment. Once your electronic storage device reaches its end-of-life, the responsible thing to do is back-up the files then wipe it clean of its contents. Manually deleting files from your hard drive seems like a foolproof way of getting rid of sensitive or personal information. However, relying solely on manual deletion prior to disposing your hard drive leaves room for costly and dangerous data breaches. Unless a very expensive and time consuming DOD-Standard data wiping program had been used, a determined individual can still access imprinted data on used hard drives. Shredding your old hard drives is one of the most effective ways to prevent the unauthorized recovery of deleted files and to keep vital data from getting into the wrong hands.
Why Should I Shred My Old and Unused Hard Drives?
Total Data Destruction
The most skilled cyber terrorists and hackers can access digital information even after the files have been deleted. Hard drive shredding pierces and tears the entire device so that the information is permanently unrecoverable. Hiring a data destruction professional with the right equipment to shred your unused hard drives is the best way to ensure that information is completely destroyed.
Compliance with Privacy Legislation
Privacy laws such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act) require all businesses to dispose of sensitive data safely and securely. Companies that fail to destroy vital data are subject to fines, which can be extremely costly. This is easily avoidable by utilizing an onsite data destruction service that follows proper privacy legislation protocol.
Saving Storage Space
Many businesses have taken to storing old hard drives in a storage unit or the office. While it may seem like a viable solution, the short-term benefits begin to dwindle as the devices start to take up too much space. Hard drive shredding eliminates the need for storage of unused hard drives, freeing up valuable space.
How Cal Micro Recycling Can Help
At Cal Micro Recycling, we use state-of-the-art hard drive shredding equipment for the safest and most thorough data destruction available. Our machines crush hard drives into tiny indistinguishable pieces, shredding all of the magnetic surfaces in the process. For additional security, we also asset-tag each serial number prior to shredding and give all of our customers a Certificate of Destruction along with a physical record of the collected serial numbers once the process has been finalized.
For more information about hard drive shredding and other data destruction services, please call Cal Micro Recycling at 909.572.1661.