When it comes to the security of your organisation's information, one of the most important things you can do is implement a data destruction policy. These policies protect you from threats like identity theft and they ensure compliance. A data destruction policy guides the process - from validating your business needs to the technical solutions that fulfill these needs. It explains everything you need to know about data erasure, including what it consists of and how to effectively implement it.
SPW ensures that your customers’ data is securely destroyed and remains compliant with changing data privacy regulations such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). A data privacy policy makes sure that you meet regulatory requirements and protect your customers' sensitive information, no matter the kind of hardware or operating system you use.
A data destruction policy sets clear guidelines on how to properly destroy data to block all unauthorised access.
Why Is a Data Destruction Policy Necessary?
Because you never know when your company's data could be compromised by an employee, vendor, or even yourself. Unauthorised data access is a great threat to businesses today because there is a risk of exposing customers to different risks like identity theft. Businesses are also vulnerable to the loss of confidential trade secrets, financial data, and other threats.
A data destruction policy sets clear guidelines on how to properly destroy data to block all unauthorised access to your data. It is a key document in your data security setup. It also ensures you are compliant with the law and that your business adapts to evolving data security threats.
1. Review the Type of Data To Destroy and Where It Is Stored
It is important to review your business records and understand what information you have been collecting, where it is stored, who has access to it, and if any of that information requires destruction. If you are not sure whether your business handles personally identifiable information (PII), ask SPW to assess the data you hold.
You must be aware that data today is on varied physical data storage media, including hard drives, USB drives, CDs/DVDs, tapes, and mobile devices. You should also review whether your business has any third-party vendors or partners who store your information offsite. If so, you will need to establish an agreement with them outlining how they will destroy or dispose of any information they store for you.
You must also consider the data stored in the cloud. The destruction will be beyond your control, but you must see your cloud provider's clear data handling policy.
SPW ensures that your customers’ data is securely destroyed and remains compliant with the evolving data privacy regulations such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
2. Determine the Data Destruction Method
Your data destruction policy should show how you want to destroy your data. The method you choose depends on the kind of equipment you have and whether it can be reused once it's destroyed. Some physical data destruction methods, shredding or degaussing for example, will leave the data storage media unusable.
The policy should show how you intend to dispose of your data. If you have a CSR program, you might want to consider data wiping as it leaves your equipment usable.
Data wiping uses specialist software to overwrite existing data in all sectors of data storage media. It overwrites the data with a series of zeros, ones, and special characters. The level of overwriting security depends on the number of passes. The standard is three passes but you can use seven passes for highly sensitive data.
Tools like Blancco data wipe can work on all kinds of storage media from a thumb drive to a server disk. Wiping doesn’t destroy the storage media and you can repurpose the equipment for other in-house uses like training new employees.
3. Choose How Often To Destroy the Data
Your company might need to keep client information and other sensitive data, but it doesn't mean you should be hanging onto it forever. Secure data destruction must be part of your regular data security tasks. Today's data privacy laws also limit how long businesses can keep client data.
If you don't have any clients who require long-term data storage (for example, clients who do credit checks), consider setting up a monthly or quarterly schedule for destroying outdated records. The more frequently you destroy your sensitive information, the easier it will be for you to comply with international and industry regulations related to protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII).
4. Define the Profile of Your Ideal Data Destruction Partner
Secure data destruction depends greatly on the partner you choose for this crucial task. You must draw up a profile of the right service provider. A professional data destruction service must have trustworthy, reliable, cost-effective, and fast qualities.
Skilled services such as SPW follow internationally recognised IT Assets Disposal (ITAD) guidelines. A professional data destruction service should also outline a clear and verifiable process that ends with a certificate for secure data disposal.
Data protection laws are constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up-to-date on new developments and review them regularly.
5. Seek Legal Guidance
Your data destruction policy must be in line with data privacy laws that guide your industry's data handling. It is prudent to seek legal opinion to ensure your policy covers what these data privacy laws entail.
Data protection laws are constantly evolving, so it's important to stay up-to-date on new developments and review them regularly.
Conclusion
Unsecured data on different data storage media poses a big risk to your business because unauthorised persons can retrieve it. Professional data destruction by skilled services like SPW is integral to data security. Developing a data destruction policy lays the foundation for this crucial task, so you should prioritise putting one in place.
We Have Your Back
Our secure IT asset disposal services provides the dependable solution you need for your e-waste and end-of-life asset needs. Our team applies safe and sustainable steps that are regulatory-compliant at every stage of the process.
From the point of collection, auditing, shredding and/or wiping to remarketing and/or donating your IT assets, you can be sure with our end-to-end services that we take your security seriously.
We have coverage against the loss of or damage to your goods during transportation. This includes marine cargo shipment from the ports to the warehouses
Our professional team of asset removers ensure your devices are packed safely into our vehicles which are also equipped with GPS-tracking systems. We have armed our warehouses with fingerprint-only access complete with security alarms and 24/7 CCTVs in place
Our reach spans across the globe through our networks of partners and vendors. Wherever your business is based, you can leverage our worldwide network and we would be happy to assist you throughout your ITAD journey
SPW is Asia's go-to solutions provider for data destruction, data erasure, IT asset remarketing, and environmentally-responsible IT asset disposals. Contact us and learn how you can incorporate an ITAD strategy into your business today.
