Published on November 21, 2018, Updated on April 8, 2022

Studies in 2012 showed that by 2020, the world would generate digital data on such a scale as to average out to 5.2 TB of data for every living human on Earth. Those numbers dramatically increased in the years since, as the Internet of Things (IoT) has exploded – figures show that 90% of all data in the world has been created only within the last two years. As culture increasingly shifts data storage from hard copies to digital platforms, data protection throughout the lifecycle of a piece of hardware – including the disposal of the hardware – is becoming an increasing concern.

This is especially true for businesses. Luckily, many companies have started offering effective data destruction services. Here’s some reasons why you might want to seek them out.

Securing Your Data

Data doesn’t stop being valuable because it’s on a broken device or stored on a hard drive stacked in a box in the back corner of your server room. Even deleting the files isn’t going to get rid of the data completely. Total destruction of data requires methods such as:

  • Degaussing: Strong magnetic fields are used to randomize and erase the recorded data patterns on drive surfaces. Drive functionality is completely destroyed.
  • Data Destruction Software: Uses methodology to repeatedly overwrite and randomize the contents of drives to such a degree that data cannot be retrieved; not always stringent enough to meet legal data destruction requirements. The drive is still usable aftwards.
  • Hard Drive Destruction: Disassembling a drive and destroying the drive’s data storage surface by way of “disintegration, grinding, pulverization, incineration, melting, and shredding” will be sufficient to meet legal requirements and permanently destroys drive functionality.

In securing your data this way, you’re eliminating risk of exposure and liability by eliminating the possibility of a data breach in the drive disposal process.

Legal Requirements Relevant to Data Protection

As data proliferates and becomes increasingly vulnerable across digital mediums, legislation has been crafted to ensure the security of financial, personal, and health data. Improperly destroying data can lead to violations of HIPAA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or FACTA, violations which can result in very significant fines for businesses. In order to guarantee data destruction and compliance, destruction services provide companies with official certificates of data destruction.

Cost Savings and Efficient Asset Management

In a brick-and-mortar office, it’s important for businesses to leverage every square inch possible to generate revenue. Converting to cloud storage frees a business from current and out-of-date hard drives. This saves office space and eliminates potential fines for data that must be maintained per the above regulations and other legal requirements.

Build Trust in Client Base

You’ve spent years building your business from the ground up, your employees spend every day attracting clients, and your business’s future depends on retaining and building your client base. When customer data of any kind is at the foundation of your business, protecting that data at all costs-regardless of how out-of-date that information might be-is critical to your continued success. By following proper data destruction methods, you give your clients the peace of mind that their data is secure.

Protect Your Reputation

It’s estimated that 72% of businesses that suffer a major data breach shutter their doors permanently within 24 months. Do everything necessary to protect your client data to this point in order to avoid fines, increase efficiency, and engender trust. These increase the credibility of your brand, which is vital in controlling damage from data leaks and simply providing clients with peace of mind. Well-established data destruction procedures, combined with robust data security protection methods for current data sources, will ensure your company is known to clients for protecting what’s most important to them.

Easy Eco-Friendly Solution

Secure data destruction and certification of destruction services are rapidly becoming the go-to for businesses wanting to reduce the impact of disposable technology on the environment. If your business is looking for a safe method of disposing hardware, hard drives, or any other technology that meets compliance standards, explore how 1 Green Planet can meet your recycling needs.