How does your company manage the protection of customer privacy? Most companies place a high value on IP and sensitive information, particularly regarding transit and destruction security. Before locking in your business, there are a few essential questions to ask if you’re seeking the services of a Data Destruction vendor or want to ensure you’re getting the best service possible.
It’s crucial to ask these questions when seeking an e-waste disposal service, data destruction is generally part of this disposal process that needs to be considered. Few e-waste service providers support secure data wiping on discarded electronic devices, even though many make this claim. By inquiring about the data destruction procedures used by e-waste service providers, you can safeguard your company and your critical data.
Ask your secure destruction vendor these questions before giving them access to your confidential data and the keys to your IP.
Consider these questions to ask a data destruction company before hiring one.
Is your company a certified Data Destruction Company?
The National Information for Destruction (NAID) AAA Certification is the benchmark, albeit not all shredding businesses have it. Your personal information will be handled securely from pickup to recycling if you use an information destruction provider that has earned the NAID AAA Certification. To become and continue to be a certified member, all shredding businesses must adhere to stringent rules, standards, and procedures.
Whilst being AAA (NAID) certified isn’t essential for companies to provide a secure service, it is certainly a plus as you can be sure that AAA (NAID) certification is trusted by the government, military, and organizations carrying highly sensitive data.
What software certifications does your company have?
There are many ‘free’ data wiping solutions out there that claim to be secure. When a service or solution is free, it brings concern about how this product can survive, or how they make their money. Solutions like Blancco require technicians to be trained and certified in order to use the software – every time an HDD is wiped using Blancco there is a license fee to be paid to the company. Blancco is internationally trusted and regarded as the Gold standard for software wiping by many Tier1 type organizations.
Whilst Blancco is not the only solution out there, the key points to look for are “NIST 800.88 R1 Purge and Clear” or “3-pass wiping” and ensuring that a certificate of destruction or audit trail is presented as an output.
Does your facility meet data destruction standards?
Always enquire about the facility’s unique data deletion procedures and determine if they adhere to or surpass industry norms. The Department of Defense regulations, which called for repeatedly wiping each device, served as the norm in the past. However, you are now advised to locate an e-waste recycler who adheres to the current set of industry-wide Guidelines for Media Sanitization.
Can I trust your employees to handle my sensitive data?
You should inquire about the e-waste service provider’s hiring and recruitment procedures, even if their data deletion procedures adhere to industry standards. After all, it’s crucial to ensure that unreliable staff won’t handle critical data. The pre-employment screening procedures for individuals who operate in restricted locations with sensitive data must be much more rigorous.
Security mechanisms should be in place at e-waste recycling plants to watch personnel. Additionally, these systems should stop unauthorized workers from entering parts of the facility where the hired company may keep equipment with sensitive data. Most of these issues can be mitigated by ensuring CCTV is active in the data destruction space where work are being conducted.
You shouldn’t entrust an e-waste service provider with your company’s sensitive data if they do not have secure processes in place to ensure data destruction integrity.
How will I know my data was destroyed completely?
The mere fact that they claimed to have done so should never be used to presume that the data on your devices has been deleted. The company that you have hired should instead provide you with some type of evidence of the destruction of the data. It may be a sign that the company that you have trusted is unreliable and shouldn’t be trusted with your sensitive data if they are unable to guarantee the destruction of your data.
Will the company provide any Certificate of Destruction?
Before you hire a data destruction company, ask if they provide a Certificate of Destruction. This is a formal document that contains detailed information about the destruction of your materials to prove that the process was completed and to prove compliance with privacy laws. Eco IT Solutions provides a Certificate of Destruction upon completion of every service for all types of physical or software data wiping services provided.
You may also like: Reasons To Choose A Certified IT Asset Disposition Company
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Can I perform the data destruction myself?
If customers or businesses feel driven to perform the erasure themselves, they should consider the paperwork required to meet compliance standards. This necessitates knowledge of the regulations and careful documentation of each erasure. Although doing it yourself might seem to “save a buck,” it introduces more danger and price.
Should I be cautious of low-cost data erasure solutions?
The most stringent certifications might not be present in low-cost systems. They frequently have greater failure rates on the systems they process as a result. The erasing procedure should, ideally: Permit choosing a specific and well-known standard depending on your requirements. Support the type and quantity of devices being erased, and Provide proof that the overwriting procedure worked and successfully deleted all of the data from the device.
Does Data Destruction help us save costs by improving our process?
The ideal solution should fulfill your requirements for cost-effective performance, data risk, compliance objectives, and device end-of-life goals. Your advisor needs to be knowledgeable in both the technical and industrial fields. Process automation that does away with manual reporting and processing is also required.
What is the ideal data destruction solution?
An onsite or complete chain of custody approach that includes software sanitization with documentation, followed by physical destruction, would be the ideal answer. Consumers and businesses need to consider all options because this can be cost-prohibitive. This makes it even more critical to get in touch with a NAID AAA Certified ITAD business like Castaway to discuss your alternatives and create a program that matches your needs while meeting or exceeding compliance standards.
