How Hard Drive Shredding Can Help You Remain Compliant

There are all kinds of laws to govern how business is conducted.  There are laws designed to protect the environment, employees, and of course, consumers.  Along those lines, your business will have to comply with a variety of privacy laws meant to protect sensitive consumer data and prevent identity theft.

There are privacy laws at the federal, state, and even local level, in some cases, and many businesses are also required to comply with even stricter industry regulations, such as HIPAA standards for healthcare providers and FACTA rules for companies dealing with consumer financial data.  Compliance includes not only protecting usable digital data with firewalls, encryption, and more, but also disposing of data properly, whether it’s in digital or hard copy format.

The best way to do this is to partner with a reliable and experienced shredding service that specializes in the destruction of hard drives and devices containing sensitive data.  How can hard drive shredding help you remain compliant with all applicable consumer privacy laws?  Here’s what every business owner should know.

End-to-End Security

As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to comply with privacy laws and industry-related rules and regulations, but these laws are complex and they change over time, which can make it hard to keep up.  When you work with a firm dedicated to IT asset disposition (ITAD), they not only keep track of laws in order to comply on your behalf, but they also provide end-to-end security that reduces risks of data theft and breach at every turn.

This begins with providing locking bins for your office so employees always know where to store hard drives and devices until they are shredded.  From there, you’ll enjoy schedule pick-ups, after which the devices in bins will either be shredded on-site while you watch or transported to a secure facility for shredding and recycling.

Tracking and Proof of Destruction

When you send off your hard drives and devices for shredding, you want to make sure the job is done right.  For this reason, it’s wise to look for a service that offers the ability to track your devices 24/7 through a client portal.  This level of transparency can offer peace of mind by allowing you to monitor the chain of custody and the status of every device by serial number.  Once your devices have been shredded, you’ll receive a Certificate of Destruction and Recycling as proof of compliance.

Industrial Shredding Equipment

While you could manage your own data destruction measures in-house, you could save time, money, and hassle by outsourcing to a provider that has the knowledge and resources to ensure compliance.  This includes utilizing industrial shredding equipment that ensures you’ll meet all standards for proper data destruction.

Certifications

The best way to ensure compliance with hard drive shredding is to find a company that holds quality certifications like e-Stewards and R2.  You’ll want to look for a service provider that can ensure responsible, secure and safe recycling practices.

If you’re looking for a reliable and certified partner in IT asset destruction in the Sioux Falls area, contact SEAM today at 605-274-SEAM (7326) or online to learn more.