Shred on Site

Do you shred your old hard drives? Many of us assume that there is no risk in an old hard drive, and these are frequently disposed of in general waste. However, whether you’re looking to protect your business confidentiality or to avoid being fined for non-compliance with data protection regulations, it’s important to make sure that you dispose of old hard drives carefully. One of the best ways to do this is to shred them.

Why do you need to consider shredding old hard drives?

Data is like gold today. It’s become vitally important to businesses and a resource that cybercriminals will break all the rules to try and access. It has also become the subject of many new pieces of legislation in recent years, which has been designed to provide more protection for sensitive and personal individual data. Given how important data is to individuals and businesses, it’s surprising how little care we sometimes take with it. Old hard drives are a prime example of this. When hard drives are constantly used, they are viewed as incredibly valuable and might be packed with key information for projects and initiatives. However, when we no longer use them they become obsolete and forgotten about.

The obligation to safely dispose of your obsolete hardware

When hard drives reach the end of their shelf life, they often get stacked on a shelf or thrown out with the rest of the general waste. This is the equivalent of putting a stack of data-rich documents directly into the hands of the people you would least like to have knowledge about your business and its customers. Even hard drives that have been wiped can still be plumbed for data, so don’t assume that just because your IT team has cleansed the hard drive that it is truly safe. The only way to have true peace of mind when it comes to old hard drives is to dispose of them safely, and shredding is the best option for this.

Dos and don’ts when shredding old hard drives securely

• Do make sure that disposing of old hard drives is integrated into your media disposal policy in your business’ data protection protocols.
• Do remember that simply erasing the hard drives isn’t enough. They need to be physically destroyed.
• Do make sure you use a professional, accredited shredding service to destroy your old hard drives. You’ll have the peace of mind of knowing this has been done properly and also have evidence of the chain of custody should you ever need this for compliance.
• Don’t try to destroy your hard drives yourself. Unless you know what you’re doing, then you won’t get the level of destruction necessary to make an old hard drive truly safe. Trust the experts and get the drives shredded.
• Don’t just recycle the hard drives. They needed to be shredded; normal recycling won’t protect you.

Shredding old hard drives is a common sense move - and a vital part of ensuring data protection compliance today.

Get in touch with us today to request a quote for all your shredding needs, whether that’s a one-off service or setting up a regular service. Why not try our online tool.