Will It Shred? Hard Drive Destruction


Hard drive disposal is not a job that can be taken lightly. In a world where the invasion of our digital privacy is becoming a common scene, it is important to take precaution with IT waste disposal. Companies and big corporate especially need secure shredding service to manage all their IT waste and efficiently destroy old devices. The implications of not properly destroying a hard drive can be severely damaging for you and your work. According to various studies, it is found that almost 78% of the wiped hard drives still contain data that can be recovered using various techniques. Even more alarming fact is that according to Hosting Tribunal, it takes on an average 139 days to discover the data breach. Think of the consequences if any private or illegal information leaks, just because you are not careful enough with your hard drive disposal practices. To help you with secure shredding of the hard drives we are going to list some questions that you must ask before you hire any shredding service. 

It's better to hire shredding services 
IT waste disposal presents some special problems that are not easy to manage. If you are not well equipped with proper tools and experience, you can easily land in trouble. The best way to secure shredding hard drives and other IT devices is to hire experienced experts. Disposal of IT waste like hard drives, laptops, desktops, Smartphones and tablets must be compliant with the e-waste laws. Problem is these laws keep changing and there is no easy way to keep a track of them. When you hire professional shredding services you are saving yourself from violating any e-waste laws. When you are hiring a profession secured shredding service, don’t forget to ask the following questions: 

How will I know the hard drives are being taken to a valid disposal location? 
Horror stories of hard drives getting stolen from third-party vendor vehicles are prevalent. This is why when it comes to e-waste disposal you need to hire professionals who ensure safe en route for hard drives. Only hire trusted experts who offer vehicles with top-of-the-line security systems and hire vetted and screened security personnel. 

Will the destruction routine of the hired service guarantee data deletion? 
Data breaches are one of the most destructive IT problems that affect industries especially the health sector. According to a study by the Healthcare Dive, 62% of the hospital establishments suffered some form of a data breach within the past year. More than half of these data breaches had compromised the privacy of patients. This kind of data breach is a serious threat not only for individuals but also for the integrity of the businesses. With these facts in mind only hire the secured shredding services that guarantee complete data deletion and offer a certificate for the same. 

Did you destroy data from all drives? 
Hard drives are not just part of your desktop or laptop but there’s an array of devices ranging from gaming consoles to smart connected IoT devices that have data storage components. It is important that you partner with a trusted service that can help you create a data destruction program so that you won’t miss any of your e-waste disposal needs. 

Make sure you get proof to be forwarded to regulators 
Finding a reliable partner for secure shredding of storage devices is also important because they will be providing you with a certificate that proves that the data stores in these devices have been properly deleted. If the service you have hired is not able to provide you with the appropriate certificates, you are risking failed audits and e-waste disposal compliance problems. 

We understand that all those YouTube videos make hard drive destruction look all fun and play, but there is a huge responsibility associated with it. With data breach problems being rampant and 3.3 billion records compromised in 2018 alone, you cannot rely on DIY novice methods for secure deletion of the data from hard drives. You need a more realistic solution for e-waste disposal. This is why you are advised to hire trusted partners to help you destroy your old devices and shred hard drives to avoid any data breach.