Data is a crucial thing in all types of businesses, either small, medium, or large. Data breaching is a common fear that every business owner has in his mind. During evolving your business, a day will come when you have to erase or remove all the old information or media in several storage devices. All the files must be deleted so that no one can recover or access it after destroying them.
Deleting files is not enough to get rid of old information. The main aim is to destroy it and remove its existence. Any application or electronic device must not access the erased files. If a cybercriminal accesses your damaged data, then your company will surely get into trouble. Your business can become a victim of identity theft, data breach, and other cybercrimes. In the following write-up, you will know different approaches to choosing the right data destruction system.
Consider Factors Before Destroying Old Files
- Time: Every day, a company updates and outdates the data. They stockpiled the old storage devices to remove files in bulk at once. You have to determine the time to spend on data disposal. The type of method for data destruction depends on time.
- Cost: You have to check how much your company can afford to destroy old data. There are different ways to treat different types of information. Therefore, you have to decide the method of data destruction and the cost that your company can afford.
- Validation and Certification: If you want to destroy data because of legal and regulatory requirements, the method for file destruction must meet your standards. The file disposal method must be certified and validated to damage confidential business files.
Different Methods to Damage Data
Many companies, like Data Destruction Inc, help different businesses to destroy their old archives. There are many ways to damage the crucial information of your business. Such as:
Delete or Reformat
Whenever we delete a file from the hard drive, it remains on it. We cannot damage the information entirely by removing it. During reformat, we replace the existing files with new ones. The old deleted archives are still present in the hard drives. Any computer expert can recover those files in a few minutes. This method is the easiest and ineffective method that cannot destroy data.
Wiping All the Files
The process includes overwriting of existing data through electronic ways. You can reuse the storage devices after clearing it without compromising any storage capacity. The process takes much time, but it can be useful for business owners. If your company has lots of devices for wiping archives, then it is impractical.
Data Overwriting
It works similarly as data wiping. The existing documents are overwritten in ones and zeros. The high-security information is overwritten multiple times. It is one of the common ways to destroy the data. It takes too much time, but it works only when the overwritten medium has not been damaged. The process does not work well on hard drives with advanced storage management components.
Erasure
It is another process like overwriting. The process ultimately damages the data, i.e., stored on the hard drives. Your business will get a certificate showing that all the files have been successfully erased. It is an effective method to erase data and reuse hard drives for storing different data.
Degaussing
The destruction of information is done by using a high-powered magnet. The high disruption of the magnetic field can destroy the archives present in the device. This method is not an appropriate one if you have to reuse your hard drives. It is difficult to confirm whether the data has been deleted or not. It can be expensive or impractical to check the existence of high-security data.
Physical Destruction
It is an excellent way to destroy essential files if you do not require reuse. Many organizations destroy hard drives by hammering it and smash into small pieces. It is an expensive approach because you will lose your costly hard drives. The devices must be damaged in an environment-friendly way.
Shredding
It is a secure as well as cost-effective process of data destruction. It is possible to remove data from all types of storage devices, optical drives, tablets, motherboards, laptops, thumb drives, etc. Any company with a stock of old hard drives can think to go with this approach. There is a guarantee that the data will be completely obliterated. If you are working in a high-security environment with crucial data, then you must choose this method.
How to Select the Right Data Destruction System?
It is essential to check several things before choosing the data destruction system for your business.
1. Documentation
The data disposal system must provide documentation after data removal. The company must ensure that it has erased all the documents securely and successfully.
2. Compliance
Before approaching any data removal company, find company standards and methods they use for archive destruction. The guidelines should be familiar with NIST and NSA standards. It is a crucial factor if you want to maintain industry standards.
3. Insurance and Security
It is essential to research the data destruction companies before hiring any. The company must take responsibility for any mishap with your business confidential information. They must provide enough security that makes you feel your documents are in safe hands.
4. Methods
Ensure that the data destruction company is providing plenty of ways to dispose of your old information. You can choose according to your budget and preference.
The Bottom Line
If you are concerned about data security and safe removal of old files, you must select the right data disposal system for your company. Ensure that the essential information from all the hard drives must be removed successfully with an approved certificate.
Your business archive is crucial, and it should not reach to wrong hands. Give the responsibility of data removal to secure and reputed data destruction system.
