How You Can Save Money in Your Data Center with Data Erasure

For years, one of the difficulties for businesses storing data was the ever-growing volume of hard copies and where to put them.  Entire rooms full of filing cabinets were devoted to organized storage of files and overflow went to secure warehouses for storage.

In addition to cost, potential downsides included risk of physical theft as well as damage due to fire, flood, and pests for example.  In other words, this system of data storage was less than ideal in a variety of ways.

Then came digital data to solve all of our problems.  Unfortunately, we simply traded one set of problems for another, as issues such as hackers and data corruption threatened our virtual caches of important information.

One problem many companies didn’t foresee was storage capacity, thanks to virtually unlimited space to store files.  Of course, data centers aren’t free. The more data stored, the more devices needed to house it along with space for storage drives, cooling to prevent overheating, building security, and more.

Sure, digital store is far more efficient than physical file storage, but it’s not without potential drawbacks.  The good news is your South Dakota data center can operate more effectively by implementing smart data sanitation practices.  What does this entail?

The Benefits of Data Erasure

In any data storage system, whether physical or digital, there are going to be issues like redundancies and outdated or obsolete information.  This could amount to a lot of data using up resources unnecessarily, potentially costing you money and posing risks in the process.

With policies and procedures in place to govern regular data sanitation, you have the opportunity to clean up your storage, remove data that’s redundant or no longer useful, and generally reduce risks, costs, and clutter.

In addition, this ongoing maintenance makes it easier when you have to do away with devices for good, as during upgrades or downsizing.  The amount of data you store won’t necessarily affect the amount of time it takes to wipe a drive, but the size of the drive certainly impacts the overall time to complete a multi-pass wiping process.  If you eliminate unnecessary data regularly, you can minimize needed storage, along with the time and hassle required for wipes down the line.

In addition, companies that lease storage drives from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will have to wipe all data before returning drives, and this is more expedient when you stay on top of maintenance like data erasure throughout the course of your lease.

Automating the Process

Cleaning up storage drives can be tedious, as can wiping them.  This is why you’ll want to look into automated processes that do the heavy lifting for you.  If you simply don’t have the time and resources to manage this yourself, contract with a third-party vendor to manage your maintenance, or a certified ITAD service provider to thoroughly wipe devices when you’re done using them.

Is your South Dakota business in need of assistance with data center erasure and disposal?  Contact the qualified professionals at SEAM today at 605-274-7326 (SEAM) or online to learn more and request a quote.