If you haven’t had to dispose of an old computer, or device that utilizes a hard drive at least one time, or another in your life by now, than that means that most likely you’ve been living in a 3rd world country, or possibly that you’ve been confined to some sort of medical/scientific apparatus that prevents you from coming into contact with the outside world. If either of those scenarios is the case- our hearts go out to you.
For the rest of us however, the disposal of an old hard drive usually means simply throwing it out with the rest of the trash, but in today’s world all of us have to be far more conscientious of any information that’s stored on a hard drive, especially since lower costs of technology have made it easier than ever to constantly upgrade our systems.
Throwing away old equipment is not the safest option and if you decide to sell your equipment to someone else then hopefully you’ve chosen a store that will accept the liability and responsibility associated with taking possession of your old hard drives. Most will request that you be responsible for erasing your data before they accept possession, but if someone tells you that they’ll do it for you- it’s always best to get something in writing. Data Disposal can destroy you hard drive so no one else can ever read what you had on there.
Most people assume that erasing a hard drive (wiping, degaussing, etc.) is 100% effective, which may/may not be true, but the real question should be:
Is there ANY information on the hard-drive (in question) that might put you at risk if exposed? In other words, can you afford to take the chance that the wrong person might come into possession of your data?
So what is the only guaranteed way to dispose of old hard drives?
-By physically destroying them completely (not just breaking them into 2 pieces).
Now it is a fact that in this day and age you can research and learn different methods/techniques/suggestions on how to get rid of old hard drives, but let’s do a quick reality check.
Hard Drive Destruction:
For businesses-
Which employee of yours will be comfortable with:
A) Physically destroying hard drives at the potential risk of physical injury/insurance liability.
B) Accepting all legal responsibility for having properly disposed of the company’s sensitive financial and/or proprietary information in compliance with HIPAA and HITECH act standards?
For Individuals-
In this situation it’s more a matter of Time VS. Cost than anything else. Granted, there is always the risk that you don’t know what you’re doing either and that some personal information is leaked and results in the potential theft of your identity, or financials, but for the most part you should ask yourself: “Do I really have the time to sit down and destroy these hard drives properly, or is it worth it to pay someone else to do it?
By utilizing a materials destruction company like Data Disposal, Inc. it ensures that your hard drives are destroyed in compliance with HIPAA and HITECH act standards. More importantly, after receiving a certificate of destruction, the liability of proper disposal is no longer yours, as it becomes the responsibility of the contracted company.
So why not make things easier on yourself. Call Data Disposal, Inc. today and have us pick up your old hard drives for destruction, or simply drop them off at our facility and we’ll take care of the rest.
For more information, call us at (619) 585-0184, or e-mail us at: [email protected]