Back in 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation was the biggest shakeup in data protection laws for two decades. Under the new regulations, any company suffering a data breach, and failing to demonstrate GDPR compliance, would be liable to huge fines, not to mention a severely damaged reputation. Which is why protecting your data is so important when disposing of IT equipment.
Although these regulations have been in place for some time, there is still some confusion as to what to do with IT equipment which is no longer needed. Fears about valuable information ending up in the wrong hands means many organisations hold on to redundant pieces of IT equipment, probably taking up space in a backroom cupboard somewhere. Much of this equipment would have been used to store sensitive data relating to customers, suppliers and employees. This data needs to be kept safe and secure and subsequently erased – and simply pressing delete is not the solution. We’ve come across some posts online which recommend taking a hammer to the hard drive, but even then, there’s a chance that data can be recovered.
Data can be stored on hard drives, memory sticks and cards and any other internal and external devices which can be linked to a piece of IT equipment – mobile phones, tablets, printers. To ensure that the data has been properly erased and in so doing maintain your GDPR compliance, your best option is to hire a third-party company which specialises in secure data erasure, as well as disposing of your equipment in an environmentally friendly manner. Which is where we come in.
IT Disposal & Data Destruction
When your IT equipment is no longer up to the task, we offer a fast, efficient IT disposal service which is not only eco-friendly, but also compliant with both UK GDPR and WEEE regulations. Simply get in touch and arrange a convenient time for us to collect your items. Once we have them in our secure processing facility they are tagged and tracked and disposed of in an ethically and environmentally friendly way.
In some instances, IT equipment can be given a second life. If this is the case, we offer an IT re-marketing service. Our experts assess the quality and condition of all IT equipment which comes into our depot and if they deem something reusable, we will refurbish it. This is certainly the greenest option.
In both cases, we are committed to protecting your data. Our comprehensive secure data wiping process ensure that all data is irretrievable, using market leading software from WipeDrive, formerly called White Canyon.
WipeDrive allows corporations and government entities to erase data permanently and securely from hard drives, removable media and mobile devices. This is a cost effective, secure and socially responsible way to recycle and retire computer storage.
Once the IT equipment has been recycled or remarketed, and all data erased, we send you your data destruction and duty of care certificates. This takes place within ten working days.
As with all our processes, our data erasure process has been designed to be effortless from start to finish. For more information about our range of services, please do get in touch.