Why Every Workplace Needs to Take Hard Drive Destruction Seriously

Most businesses go to great lengths to secure digital data. You probably have a firewall and antivirus protections in place to secure your network. There’s a good chance you utilize strict password protection protocols to ensure that only approved employees have access to certain data. You may even encrypt data in the unlikely event of theft. Some businesses also use physical security measures like keycards or biometrics to enter facilities.

With all of these measures in place, it only makes sense that companies would exercise equal caution when disposing of hard drives used to store confidential data. And yet, there are companies that simply wipe drives before tossing them, that turn them over to recycling facilities where they could easily be stolen, or that don’t even bother to destroy hard drives, opting to store them on-site indefinitely, creating additional opportunities for theft.

Failing to properly destroy old hard drives is an invitation for trouble. Depending on the data stored on hard drives, it could lead to serious concerns like identity theft or data breach. In other words, every business needs to take hard drive destruction seriously, for several reasons

Protection of Customer Data
Your customers entrust their sensitive, personal information to you with the understanding that you’re going to take steps to safeguard it. When you fail to properly destroy hard drives, that data could be stolen and used for the purposes of identity theft, which could cause serious harm to your customers.

Don’t think all threats are external, either. It’s true that tossing old hard drives could result in dumpster-diving thieves gaining access to information, but even storing old hard drives on-site could be dangerous if unscrupulous employees decide to take drives in order to retrieve information they wouldn’t normally have access to, or alternately, sell drives or the data they contain.

Compliance with Privacy Laws
In addition to the ethical onus to protect confidential customer data, there are laws in place designed to protect consumer privacy. Companies may be beholden to federal, state, and local privacy laws, depending on where they operate, and some industries have even stricter regulations to abide by (like HIPAA and FACTA, for example).

Negligence when it comes to following applicable rules for hard drive destruction could not only compromise the security of company and consumer data, but it could also result in penalties from the authorities. Businesses should take pains to understand and follow any privacy laws that apply to them.

Avoid Theft and Breaches
The long-term consequences of failing to destroy hard drives could be catastrophic. If breaches and data theft occur, loss of customers and government penalties could be the least of your worries. Companies could also lose prospective customer, face lawsuits, and suffer a loss of reputation, which could significantly impact the ability to continue operations.

In other words, you could ultimately lose your business. The good news is that it’s simple enough to ensure proper hard drive destruction. With the help of a reputable shredding service, you know your hard drives will be properly disposed of so that you never have to worry about the possibility of theft and data breach.

SEAM offers on-site collection and compliance with all applicable privacy laws, and this certified company meets that highest standards. Contact SEAM today at 605-274-SEAM (7326) to partner with a reputable service that takes your protection and privacy as seriously as you do.