Category: Services

Here in this blog, you will know what degaussing actually is and most importantly how it works.

There are two methods for securely cleaning data. The first is degaussing, and the second is shredding. While two of these are fantastic, especially when you need data and can’t retrieve it.

First off, degaussing is one of the techniques of deleting data permanently, and is relevant for various disks and tapes by which magnetic domains on the medium are oriented.

In other words, Magnetic domains, which are incredibly tiny regions, change their magnetic alignment to point in the direction of an applied magnetic field to store data on magnetic media. This media completely ignores the domain of their patterns without setting a priority and preventing the recovery of earlier data. In contrast, It is used to wipe all the data like images, audio, videos, and different data signals. 

History of Degaussing

The degaussing process was first introduced in the second world war. Its primary purpose was to remove ships known as magnetic signatures. The British fleet was severely damaged by German magnetic mines, which they attempted to counter.

When a ship’s steel concentrated the Earth’s magnetic field over it, the mines could detect the change. Carl Friedrich Gauss introduced this term during that period.

How Degaussing Works

To begin with, degaussing is used to generate a regulated magnetic field that works to clear valuable information. It helps to analyze the depth of data and information and start processing degaussing as per requirements to remove the information on the medium source. The physical principle underlying the degaussing relies upon the polarization of the Weiss domain names. The data is kept on magnetic media, such as hard drives and tapes, wherein an electromagnetic field is applied to tiny areas called magnetic domains, especially Weiss domain names.

What it complies with is that, the greater the power of the degausser, the greater its performance and the opportunity to utilize it on future innovation hard disks and other magnetic media.

The degausser is built in such a way as to allow the created electromagnetic field to be available to the media when it is transported with it, that can be literally holding the press and also relocating through the area by hand, having it instantly conveyed by a belt transporter or turned on a motorized pin.

What to do after Degaussing?

All devices after going through the degaussing process, are rendered useless. After you degauss a disk drive, the look of the hard disk drive doesn’t alter. The shift in the magnetic domain is long-term as well as irreversible damage, which is ideal if you’re wanting to delete information permanently.

Benefits of  Degaussers

There are various benefits of degaussers where the makers of audio and video receive betterment on yields and high quality. It is helpful not only to businesses but also to the government to include degaussing in their magnetic media processing method and realize significant cost savings by securely reusing previously discarded media repeatedly.

Controlled use of degaussers in magnetic media operations and production processes can result in significant cost savings. To begin with, many operators who do not degauss today, discard suspicious media that, if degaussed rigorously, would have a noticeably longer lifespan.

Another advantage is the difficulty in disposing of magnetic media. When buried, it is not biodegradable and emits hazardous gases when burned. You can help your company’s recycling program by reusing your media device as much as possible. Moreover, with the help of deep erasure that is evolved by magnetic fields, makers and customers recognize that it’s possible to minimize from various tapes and cassettes, also known as the techniques usually used in hard disk drives. 

Lastly, providing peace of mind in mass recycling those degaussed media drives without concern of information falling into malicious hands. 

What to know before choosing a degausser?

Firstly you need to know about the types of media used. Secondly, you need to know the exact media volume at a specific timeframe. Thirdly, you should sense or know the density of media and types of operation to consider the sufficient power to clear tapes manually and so on. 

Types of Degaussers

Talking about the types of degaussers, basically, there are 3 types of degaussers:

• Coil Degausser
• Capacitive Discharge Degausser
• Permanent Magnet Degausser

Conclusion

In summary, degaussing is the process of clearing the data where magnetic domains are oriented. In this article, we have learned a simple version of how degaussing works. By evolving magnetic fields and by assisting in finding out the information in order to remove precious data. Additionally, it works with the polarization of the Weiss domain name where the data is kept in a magnetic field through magnetic domains where electromagnetic fields are applied. We have also learned about how degausser is made and how it relocates through the area by hand.

You will probably ask this question if you use an SSD and wish to erase all of its data. Unfortunately, the quick answer is that degaussing SSD does not work.

Due to the risk of data loss, solid-state disks pose a specific challenge. Data destruction is the process of ensuring that data cannot be recovered and utilized for malicious reasons. Data destruction often involves deleting the electronic medium or overwriting it with random data until the current data can no longer be recovered. With SSDs, however, this is not the case.

What exactly is degaussing?

By removing magnetic fields, degaussing is a technique for physically erasing data. The magnetic domain storage systems like hard drives that store information makes this technology viable. By neutralizing these magnetic domains, degaussing SSD can permanently erase the data held on hard drives and other suitable devices.

Why does degaussing not work on SSDs?

Degaussing’s primary drawback is that it can only be used with equipment that magnetically stores data. Solid-state drives (SSDs) store data using flash memory chips rather than magnetic domains. Hence, the technique is unsuccessful on SSDs. Degaussing has little impact on other flash-based storage types, including USB drives and memory cards.

Users of conventional hard drives should consider alternatives to degaussing when removing data permanently. Degaussing is a costly alternative that also interferes with the fundamental operation of magnetic storage devices, making the drives useless. This can be challenging to justify from an environmental or sustainability standpoint.

Alternatives to Degaussing for Wiping an SSD

Because they are faster, more reliable, and use a lot less power, SSDs are a highly requested storage device option for many businesses. specifically in comparison to hard disk drives. Given the prevalence of SDDs, companies must be aware of the practical techniques for SSD data sanitization. Degaussing SSD drives is an unsuccessful method, as we’ve already stated. So, here are some choices that you might think about.

Destroying the SSD Physically

Business enterprises can comply with data protection standards by physically destroying SSDs, making the data unrecoverable. However, due to the way SSDs are assembled and configured, some data may still be exposed even after only making a few small holes in the storage medium. It is crucial to pound the entire SSD to destroy the memory chips inside the SSD. Other techniques for physically destroying devices to ensure data eradication include disintegrating, shredding, and burning.

The advantage of physical destruction is that it ensures that no one will ever be able to recover the data from the SSD using any method. Shredding a hard drive is one of the most popular methods of physically destroying a hard drive and it can work on SSD as well. It is also possible to hammer SSDs with a hammer or other standard home tools, making it an essentially cost-free alternative. However, it also means that your company will no longer have one additional SSD storage device. If the device is not correctly destroyed or disposed of, there is also a chance that someone could recover the data.

However, the major drawback of physical destruction as an alternative to degaussing SSD is that it is not environmentally benign or sustainable. The destroyed item adds to the dangers of electronic waste. Additionally, businesses must spend money on new storage systems to replace destroyed ones.

Using Data Erasure Software

Data erasure is a technique for sanitizing data that involves overwriting a storage medium with software. Data erasure makes sensitive data on a storage device irrecoverable by covering it with a non-sensitive binary pattern. For magnetic and flash-based storage devices, data erasure is a workable method of data sanitization. This is so that the procedure may overwrite the private information. As a result, it is appropriate for all types of devices, including SSDs, flash memory cards, floppy disk drives, and hard drives.

Additionally, companies and individuals can reuse the gadget and sell it on the open market because data erasure does not physically affect the device. This preserves the device’s monetary and functional worth. Encouraging the reuse of current storage media devices consequently lowers the quantity of produced e-waste.

Puncturing the SSD

While still, a physical action, puncturing SSDs is slightly different from shredding. Drives are inserted into equipment with a press, which destroys the data on the hard disk and the chips they contain by punching several pins into them.

All the memory chips are damaged during puncturing, and the drive is covered in holes.

Conclusion

Degaussing is a method for demagnetizing magnetic storage devices, and it impacts HDDs and other tape media that use a magnetic field to store data in its binary form. Degaussing SSD, however, cannot successfully clean SSDs with NAND chips. Thus, we have clarified why degaussing SSD is neither necessary nor practical. Software-based data sanitization is now the best method for wiping an SSD because it is both environmentally benign and compliant with international standards for data protection. In conclusion, data erasure utilizing a trustworthy software program can assist businesses in remaining in compliance with data protection and e-waste rules. So contact Eco IT Solutions today for environmentally-friendly disposal of any IT asset.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

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Software to wipe data for free is convenient for many IT asset managers. They are unaware of the dire repercussions of improper data erasure, such as fines, legal action, lost clients, and damaged brand reputation. By highlighting the drawbacks of free data erasure tools and the advantages of expensive software, this blog hopes to draw attention to these risk implications.

It is crucial to handle data storage devices safely at the end of their useful lives. The application of illegal data wiping techniques or free data wiping software may pave the way for data theft, which can impede any organization’s growth. Free data erasure tools might not be expensive, but they undoubtedly leave traces of private data behind. Are you willing to compromise the value of your brand to save money by using free data erasing software? Is it prudent to take the chance of recycling or reselling IT assets without any evidence or record of data erasure? Certainly Not!

We are here to help you decide which type of data erasure software is best for your company. The following significant differences between free and paid versions are highlighted:

Free Vs. Professional Data Erasure Software

Parameter	Free Data Erasure Tool	Professional Data Erasure Tool
Complete Data Erasure	Does not entirely erase the data. Free programs like DBAN do not adhere to NIST recommendations for media sanitization or international data erasure standards. Sensitive corporate information could easily be left behind, resulting in significant legal and financial consequences.	Erases data entirely and permanently, leaving no traces behind. Professional tools test their wiping performance with NIST and other international authorities and adhere to 24 international data erasing standards like DoD, NIST, etc.
Effectiveness	Because they cannot find and wipe hidden sections like HPA or DCO on the drives, free versions of data erasure software are typically unsuccessful.	Professional tools are incredibly effective on hard disks and SSDs in permanently wiping out hidden sections and remapped sectors.
Detailed Erasure Report	Free data erasure tools produce no report or certificate of data erasure.	A thorough report on data erasure is produced by Professional Data Erasure Tool. You can add your company logo to the report to personalize it further.
Data Wiping Certification	A free data erasure offers one message indicating that the data has been erased.	Users can obtain a tamper-proof certificate produced using Professional Data Erasure Tool in PDF format for audit trails.
Precision	Free data erasure tools are not accurate and precise.	Professional data erasure tools wipe data from storage devices beyond the scope of recovery.
Functionality	Free tools cannot delete RAID servers or check drives’ health due to a lack of features and capability. Additionally, they don’t support HexViewer for disk sector data wiping verification.	Professional Data Erasure Tool wipes data off RAID servers and checks the drive’s condition. Additionally, HexViewer is supported for the disk sector data wiping verification.
Cost of Destruction	Free tools satisfy the basic erasing needs of home users and charge extra for a few improved functionalities.	Professional tools are available with a pay-per-use option for bulk erase with infinite perks and benefits.
Customer Support	When using free tools, no customer service desk or executive is ready to answer your questions.	Professional data erasure software provides trained customer service representatives on hand around-the-clock to help you with your demands.

Risk Implications of Free Data Erasure Tool

In addition to the reasons highlighted in the table above for why a company should use professional data erasure software, you may want to consider the adverse effects and dangers of hazardous free data erasure tools:

Causes Distress

Free data wiping tools are responsible for causing an excessive amount of issues for IT asset managers, technicians, and stakeholders in the lack of proof of cleaning. Auditors can cause all the staff members responsible for managing IT assets and data management to lose sleep if they do not have a thorough record of all data erasure. Data breaches may result in legal action and penalties that upset a business, its IT asset managers, and its data controllers.

Operational Downtime

Software available for free download invites hostile assaults and data breach situations. Such occurrences necessitate thorough investigations. Most businesses experience an unanticipated period of total stoppage of operations while the investigation is ongoing. Depending on the seriousness of the data breach or intrusion, the procedure can take days, weeks, or even months. Additionally, it significantly negatively impacts the company’s revenue and stock market value.

Use reputable data erasure software to avoid these problems, ensuring each device is permanently erased using international data erasure standards. The reports and certificates the software generates, the chain of custody, hardware model, unique ID, serial number, and other information are also recorded. The cloud repository makes it easy to find old records whenever needed.

Also read: Myths About Data Erasure

Cybercrime has increased dramatically over the last decade as a result of increasing global connectivity and increased use of cloud services and IT devices. Businesses must create a robust cybersecurity ecosystem rather than relying on simple firewalls and antivirus software to protect their data.

When business executives consider cybersecurity, they typically consider what practices and technologies to add to their arsenal. Examples include email encryption, firewalls, network and endpoint security, employee awareness programs, AI and machine-learning technology, etc. Which items should be removed is a topic that is not frequently thought about.

Data destruction, or what to do with data when the company no longer requires it or when it gets into the wrong hands, is almost as crucial to an organization’s security posture.

As more businesses turn to cybersecurity, the demand for skilled and qualified cybersecurity experts rises dramatically. Professionals who understand the complexities of information security and cybersecurity are in high demand today. It is a popular career path that offers both high annual pay and job satisfaction.

What is data destruction and Why is it important in Cybersecurity?

When you hear the phrase “data destruction,” you probably wince and picture a gadget being broken or destroyed without a backup, losing the data it holds. However, in this case, data destruction refers to the deliberate action your organization takes when it no longer needs the information or the storage device. Data that hasn’t been appropriately deleted is a potential data breach, so data destruction is vital for your protection.

Your company probably already destroys data daily by removing emails from an inbox or clearing old files from a database to make space. However, current data destruction can be challenging, given the variety of modern data storage options, including tape, disks, hard drives, USBs, and other physical and mobile devices.

Before discarding, recycling, reusing, selling, or replacing any physical hardware, you must effectively destroy all data on it. For organizational and security best practices, it is advisable to routinely erase outdated data stored on networks and in the cloud.

Types of data destruction

Simply removing a file is insufficient for data destruction. The file is most likely still kept in the device’s hard drive or memory chip, even though it might not be accessible in a specific folder. Organizations must therefore go above and beyond to ensure that an operating system or application can no longer read the data.

When selecting how to erase their data appropriately, businesses have the following as the best options:

• Degaussing
• Overwriting
• Physically destroying the storage medium

Degaussing

One of the best choices is degaussing. A powerful electromagnet, in this instance, passes over the storage device. In essence, these magnetic fields will scramble all the information, making it impossible to read. The only issue in this situation is that the device itself might be harmed by such a method. The most popular and economical way of information ablation is still degaussing.

Overwriting

Overwriting data entails adding new information (often in the form of 0s and 1s) on top of old data, as the phrase already suggests. The fundamental objective is to protect the hard drive from harm while concealing the data it holds. It should be emphasized, though, that this method can occasionally be rendered useless by a person with a lot of technical expertise.

For instance, there is no certainty that data overwriting would erase information from sections of the device that are host-protected or otherwise unavailable. Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that overwriting only functions if the storage medium is undamaged and hence still writable.

Physically destroying the storage medium

It is possible to destroy the device physically. Chemicals or shredding of the unit can be used to do this. The only potential issue is that even a physically destroyed hard drive or device might still hold a sizable quantity of data. As a result, many businesses opt to outsource these solutions to competent outsiders.

Reasons to consider Data Destruction in Cybersecurity

There are many reasons to consider data destruction in cybersecurity. Some of the important ones are:

Legal Requirement

Numerous laws, on both the federal and state levels, mandate that companies safeguard the private information of their customers. When data deletion methods are insufficient (or nonexistent), and customer information is compromised, a company will face sanctions from the relevant regulatory bodies. Additionally, it risks high-priced company litigation from aggrieved customers.

To protect the reputation of a Company

Data breaches, particularly those attributable to corporate recklessness, can harm a company’s reputation for good. Anyone may use your customers’ and employees’ personal information in identity theft schemes and other fraudulent actions. Nobody wants to work with a company that can’t safeguard their data.

Data are always under constant threat

Every day, your data is constantly threatened by fraudsters, corporate espionage, and hackers who hold your information for ransom money. It would be best if you were proactive regarding protecting your data.

Which cybersecurity risks does data destruction tackle?

When considering a cybersecurity hazard resulting from insufficient data destruction, most individuals probably first consider a breach. Most businesses, for instance, gather and maintain sensitive or personally identifying data about their clients and workers. Companies may retain customer or employee data after they leave, but they eventually want to delete it from their systems to avoid liability in the event of a breach.

For this same reason, cybercriminals target businesses to breach them and don’t just target information that an organization is actively using. Data in transit, storage, or at rest is all in danger. Threat actors also know that individuals and businesses frequently get rid of physical devices without completely erasing their data. According to the BBC, one in ten used hard drives still have customers’ old data.

The data collection process could also begin innocently. A person might purchase a USB drive from a third-party vendor and discover it still contains data after plugging it into a computer, for instance. A person could get private information by spotting that a business is disposing of specific hard drives in a simple bin to get to and afterward taking the disks out of the container.

Organizations may be punished for improperly handling the information in their custody in addition to data breaches. Once regulators determine that a company isn’t upholding the basic requirements for data storage, they may subject the company to millions of dollars in fines.

Final Words: Importance of Data Destruction in Cybersecurity

A sound data destruction strategy can strengthen cybersecurity. Following international erasure standards, dependable software helps complete permanent data annihilation. Using sophisticated algorithms, this software overwrites the data in single or numerous runs. Additionally, this software provides reports and certifications that companies can use for audits as official evidence of erasure. Top IT asset disposition businesses choose data destruction software to wipe data permanently.

Organizations can combine data protection and disposal by considering a top-notch data destruction method. Otherwise, by merely studying the pattern of dumping hard drives without adequate data wiping, a novice hacker can quickly gain access to sensitive data such as regular company transactions, financial statements, client details, etc.

Lastly, Eco IT Solutions provides a secure data destruction service to further your Cybersecurity. We inspect private inventories, issue reports, and suggest data destruction solutions for corporations with enormous amounts of data but are unclear where to start.

Call us at 02 8055 3775 or email us at info@ecoitsolutions.com. Or, you may visit our website and leave a message through our online contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

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Your computer’s hard disk is essentially its information hub. It is the location of your operating system (OS) and your data. Your hard disk probably contains sensitive data if you use your laptop for activities other than simple web browsing. It may be IP, trade secrets, financial data, or even health-related data.

This is the kind of information that should not end up in the wrong hands. This is why, in some circumstances, erasing a hard drive is necessary. If you intend to sell or donate the computer for reuse, you might not want to destroy the hard drive. But you should eliminate it if you’re going to sell your computer’s components or throw them away. Why? Because even if you remove files using your convenient recycling bin, they still exist; they are simply less convenient to access. This implies that you must still take additional actions to guarantee that no one can recover the data.

We’ve got you covered, so don’t worry. The key is to correctly erase data, and there are numerous ways to do it by deleting information from hard drives.

Why Should You Destroy a Hard Drive?

You do not want your hard drive to get lost or stolen, along with the data it contains. You can save everything, including financial information, contact information, sensitive data, and more, as was previously indicated.

Therefore, you’ll want to delete the hard disk and all that company data before selling your computer or throwing it away (note: don’t do that; there are safer and more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of your computer).

Regardless of the motivation behind your need to destroy your hard drive, the key lesson is that you don’t want it to get into the wrong hands. This indicates that an important part, destruction time, has arrived!

The Best Ways To Destroy A Hard Drive

The goal is to render the drive’s platters so they won’t spin; do not microwave, roast on a spit, soak in acid, or place it near a mighty magnet. The key is to correctly erase data, and there are numerous ways to do it by deleting information from hard drives.

So, the following are some techniques for physically destroying a hard drive:

Degaussing Hard Drives

Hard disk degaussing is a very efficient sanitization technique. In truth, some degaussing methods for high-security data destruction on magnetic media have been certified due to their effectiveness. Degaussers are highly tuned magnets that will obliterate any data’s magnetic trace when they come into contact with other magnetic media, like hard drives. Equipment used to destroy data that is measured in oersted is called a magnetic degausser. A degausser’s efficiency is affected by various factors, but generally speaking, the higher the oersted rating, the more potent the degausser. Magnetic degaussers come in a wide range of types and prices.

Disintegrating Hard Drives

Hard disks can be destroyed using disintegrators, a form of data destruction equipment frequently employed in the recycling and data destruction sectors. Disk Drive Disintegrators have been created to handle harder-to-manage hard drives. The hard drive is sliced into bits by hard drive disintegrators using knife milling technology until the pieces are tiny enough to pass through the disintegrators’ screen. Hard drive disintegration produces a far more refined residue and a lot greater level of security than hard drive shredding, albeit slightly slower. Even in the minor hard disk fragments, the fragments could include thousands of potentially damaging pieces of data. Producing a higher level of destruction is probably the most important when dealing with data storage devices like hard drives.

Shredding Hard Drives

Hard drive shredding requires a specific kind of shredder designed to handle the heavy metal parts involved with hard drives. Hard drive shredders use timed conveyor belts and reinforced steel cutting shafts with enlarged gap settings to prevent overfeeding. Hard drive shredding residue is far from having the same fine consistency as paper shredding residue. Significant bits of metal make up the hard drive shredder residue, which varies considerably from drive to drive depending on how it hits the shredding head. As a result, we frequently advise hard drive destruction to clients who are not attempting to satisfy NSA or other official security standards. Two similar options would be to run the hard drives through for a second pass or consider a hard drive disintegrator that produces a more minor and consistent residue.

Shredding is your best option if you don’t intend to sell hard drives and want to be confident that the data is unrecoverable. Working with a professional service is brilliant for this endeavor since they provide specific tools and trained professionals for shredding hard drives.

Wiping Hard Drives

Wiping is a great way to delete data if you don’t want to destroy the hard drive permanently. However, it would help if you did it correctly, or some data may still be present. For data to be destroyed, it must be overwritten, frequently more than once. The best action is to hire a pro, particularly if you intend to restore and resell hard drives.

Final Words

Several aspects, such as how sensitive your data is, how many hard drives you need to destroy, and how much you can spend on a solution, must be taken into consideration when deciding which technique of hard drive destruction is appropriate for you.

Eco IT Solutions provides the best solutions for your hard drive destruction needs. We will give you a certificate of data destruction of all media that has been destroyed. 

Eco IT Solutions specializes in hard drive destruction. For more information, please fill out the form below or Contact us through email or phone.

Also read: How to securely wipe hard drive data?

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

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This blog will discuss the reasons for choosing a certified IT asset disposal company (ITAD).  Why is choosing a certified IT asset disposition company a crucial component of every data destruction policy, and what are the risks of working with an uncertified service provider?

As its name suggests, an IT asset disposal company focuses on disposing of storage devices that are no longer in use by enterprises or that have reached the end of their useful lives. When an organization decides to discard and dispose of its equipment, it typically hires an ITAD company to dispose of its unwanted IT assets securely and environmentally friendly. After the end of the Asset’s life cycle, they need to be properly disposed of. Any organizational data destruction policy must have a clearly defined and thoroughly thought-out data destruction strategy. It is impossible to decommission servers and dispose of devices like laptops, monitors, and hard drives at will because doing so poses security and environmental risks.

Due to strict international data regulatory standards and an increase in data breaches, choosing an ITAD company today involves more factors than just an organization’s capacity to dispose of its IT assets. In light of this, we examine “the top 5 reasons to select a qualified supplier for IT Asset Disposition.”

Here they are – the “Top 5 Reasons To Choose A Certified IT Asset Disposition Company,” no matter your global location:

• Reduces the Risk of a Data Breach
• Aids in Complying with Regulations
• Possess a Certification
• Perform Thorough and Permanent Data Destruction
• Responsibly Handle Environmental Concerns

Reduces the Risk of a Data Breach

Selecting a certified company is essential for ensuring secure and irreversible data destruction with due diligence and destruction evidence to reduce the risk of a data breach. The success of any firm might be hampered or stopped altogether if due care is not exercised in choosing a licensed and reputable vendor. Therefore, a certified ITAD firm ensures that your stakeholders’ data is safe from threats. A data breach has no recovery potential. Some nations use prison sentences to hold people accountable (rather than the company). The negligence on the part of the data breach subsequently results in lawsuits worth millions of dollars and loss of customer trust.

Aids In Complying With Regulations

A mandatory auditable document certifying that the data was erased or destroyed from the disposed IT asset is required under an organizational data destruction policy. To ensure that you fulfill your audit and compliance needs, a dependable, reputable, and certified ITAD vendor delivers thorough documentation of each wipe and destruction procedure. According to ADISA, e-Stewards, or R2V3 rules of data destruction, a certified IT asset disposition organization maintains a chain of custody document. The ITAD Company also offers Certificates of Destruction (COD), which serve as proof of destruction and confirm that all devices have been wiped, destroyed, or repurposed following international erasure standards and norms.

Possess a Certification

Industry standards and certifications for ITAD make sure that these authorized IT asset disposal businesses and recyclers are recognized by independent auditors and certifying organizations for their ability to dispose of and recycle IT assets following international standards. Among the significant certifications and certifying bodies (ISO 45001), are Responsible Recycling (R2) by SERI (Sustainable Electronics and Recycling International), NAID AAA certifications by iSigma, e-Stewards by Basel Action Network, ADISA’s IT Asset Recovery certification, and international ISO standards for Quality Management (ISO 9001), Environmental Management (ISO14001), and Health and Safety (ISO 45001). R2, NAID AAA, and e-Stewards are some of the most reliable ITAD vendors holding certifications. Therefore, when choosing the best data destruction vendor for your firm, seek these qualifications.

Perform Thorough And Permanent Data Destruction

An experienced ITAD vendor ensures that your data is erased or destroyed without any chance of recovery, not even in a lab environment. ITADs often either destroy the device using a commercial shredder or other physical destruction procedures or destroy data by overwriting to make the device suitable for reuse. These ITADs use professional data wiping software, such as Blancco, which ensures secure and long-lasting data sanitization to wipe the device in preparation for reuse.

Leading ITADs provide on-site and off-site data erasure options based on your preferences. These ITADs use a streamlined procedure to guarantee that every aspect of your device is documented when transported to a different facility, giving you full access to the information and a secure chain of custody before it is destroyed. They provide an erasure report and certification after safely wiping the device.

Responsibly Handle Environmental Concerns

One environmental and public health issue with the fastest growth rate that the globe is currently experiencing is discarded e-waste. According to research jointly by the World Economic Forum and the United Nations, millions of tons of electronic garbage are generated yearly.

Most of this e-waste is discarded in landfills and aquatic ecosystems, posing a health risk to humans and other living things on land and in the water. As a responsible company, you would not want to contribute to the plague of e-waste or be a part of the hazardous chemicals and radiation in this e-waste. Your wasted IT assets will be responsibly recycled or repurposed if you choose an ITAD that is certified.

Why are Certifications so Important to IT Asset Disposition Companies?

Although certification is optional, it gives you access to independent, qualified third-party verification of an ITAD vendor’s procedures. Certifications demonstrate a vendor’s thorough knowledge of and adherence to all relevant legislation.

When you think about some of the problems the sector is dealing with, having this degree of expertise has never been more critical.

• Data is becoming increasingly exposed, and attacks on data are occurring everywhere.
• Industries are implementing new rules and compliance requirements to safeguard customer data and privacy.
• Environmental standards are being updated as a result of climate change.

Earning certifications also shows a vendor’s dedication to its customers and commitment to performing at a specific level by showing that it will spend the time and money necessary to pursue certification.

Conclusion

When the security of your crucial storage devices and client data is at risk, choosing a Certified ITAD expert is essential. You may rest easy knowing your data is secure by ensuring your preferred vendor destroys it securely and under all applicable laws and regulations. Your chosen ITAD professional should be devoted to data security, compliance, and sustainability. Do you need an ITAD solution with certification? Contact Eco IT Solutions right away!

Also read: Questions To Ask Data Destruction Companies Before Hiring One

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

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You finally gave in to the siren’s song, and now you’re the proud owner of a brand-new PC, a quicker SSD, or a larger hard drive. It’s time to start playing with your new machines, so sell or donate your old equipment. Wait a minute… You must first securely wipe the data from your old hard drives to prevent identity theft.

As you may anticipate, simply erasing the data from your hard disk does not remove it. NTFS, the file system used by Windows PCs, only conceals the data from the view, leaving it open to overwriting whenever a new file is stored on the drive. While such a situation is feasible for regular usage, it might be disastrous when it comes time to dispose of old equipment.

Why wipe your hard drive?

You must fully erase your hard disk after deleting a file to ensure it is truly gone. All the hard drive’s data is erased when you wipe it. When data is deleted, or a drive is reformatted, enough information is left for specific software to recover the deleted data. Delete all the partitions’ data if you’ve partitioned your hard drive.

Before you begin to wipe your hard drive

Make a data backup! You cannot rewind these apps to retrieve a lost file after they have started. The road to data oblivion is a one-way one. Additionally, if you’re wiping the drive on a laptop, ensure the device is plugged in before you begin. It might be disastrous for the drive if the battery runs out in the middle of a disk wipe and the power goes out.

Let’s talk terminology now that that’s been cleared up. You can control the software’s number of “passes” with drive-wiping utilities. Each pass represents an entire overwriting of the data. Your drive will be written over three times with ones and zeros using a utility that does three passes. The less probable your data will be recoverable, the more times you overwrite it.

Making a backup before you start is advised because you use any of these techniques to wipe your data at your own risk. However, we have employed each of these strategies with success in the past.

Securely wipe hard drive data with Software

Wiping hard disks using software is the most expensive way to deal with a stack of them. It’s not quick, and it won’t work on damaged disks. You can choose any free software for wiping drives, but you may be limited to guaranteeing the authenticity of the wipe. Also, reporting of serials and devices may not be enough to satisfy your organization’s audit and reporting requirements. 

You should read and become very comfortable with the type of software you use, as the hard drive will lose your data if you take your eyes off the task and clean the incorrect drive.

The hands-on methods

Okay, so what should you do if you wish to wipe drives that have died or have developed a fault but still contain data on them that can no longer be wiped? You may gamble that the data is lost since the drive is dead, but you should prepare for the possibility that the drive will end up in the hands of someone more intelligent than you (or someone who has more time, patience, and resources).

To apply the hands-on method you can use a drill but be very cautious while using this. Be sure to use proper safety equipment. If you are looking for HDDs or SSDs to be destroyed in larger quantities due to drive failure, then it is recommended to use a physical crushing device. 

Ensure that all serial numbers are scanned and tracked beforehand, as when drives are physically destroyed, it is very likely the serial numbers will no longer be visible to the naked eye nor will they be able to be scanned for tracking. In addition to this being a secure and trusted method, this is an efficient technique to destroy drives.

Also read: The Best Hard Drive Destruction Methods That Work

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)