The Big Debate: Shred or Erase Your Business Hard Drives

Eliminating any and all risks for a data breach is the best way to make sure that your business, your clients, and your reputation are truly safe from any potential infringements.

You know the risks of data theft. Your company is at risk, your clients are at risk, and your reputation will definitely take a hit. Because you understand why data destruction services are so important, you know that you need to find a company to partner with to ensure that your company’s data destruction is done thoroughly. There is a debate over whether shredding your hard drive is necessary, or if wiping the hard drive clean is enough. It’s worth taking a closer look at each method to make an educated choice about how your company will handle disposing of old hard drives. Both are considered secure methods of data destruction, but only one will truly destroy your sensitive and possibly retrievable data.

Erasing Your Business Hard Drive

Erasing your business hard drive is usually known as “wiping” the hard drive. You can’t do this just by deleting the files. The erasure usually involves a program that will overwrite all the files with incomprehensible data, making it nearly impossible for data recovery software to read and recover the old files. Depending on the size of the drive and the amount of data you have on there, this can take quite a while. At the end of this process, you will be able to use the hard drive again for new data. The physical hard drive will survive, and can be recycled or reused.

Shredding Your Business Hard Drive

Shredding involves pulling the hard drive and shredding it into metal scrap or dust – usually after initially wiping the data. The hard drive will be completely destroyed and cannot be repaired, reassembled, or reused. This is the only way to truly eliminate old business information.

If you have government contracts or high security information on your business hard drive, there is no question that you will need to go beyond simply wiping the hard drive. Shredding or pulverizing is the only way to ensure that the data is destroyed.

Finding the Right Company for Your Data Destruction Services

When it comes to data security for your business hard drives, wiping the hard drives is simply not enough, especially now. Hackers are getting increasingly smarter and always figuring out new ways to retrieve old data from “clean” hard drives. Your data is important and we recommend not taking any chances with your sensitive data. Destruction is the only foolproof way to dispose of your electronic business records. Therefore, your business needs to work with a company that has the equipment necessary to physically destroy your hard drive. Not all data destruction companies are the same, so ask them how they will destroy your data.

Many companies don’t have the equipment to shred or pulverize your hard drive, so it’s important to do your research and find a company that does have the right equipment for data destruction services beyond simply wiping your hard drive. Look for a data destruction service that is NAID certified.

When looking for a company to partner with for destruction of your business’s hard drives, it is well worth the effort to find a company that will shred the hard drive, rather than just wiping the data. You know the security risks when it comes to your company’s data, so the best practice is to make sure that old data is truly physically destroyed for good.

The NAID Certification Program establishes industry standards for the destruction process encompassing operational security, employee hiring and screening, responsible disposal, and insurance.

The NAID Certification is only awarded to companies that meet or exceed the most rigorous security standards as judged by an independent auditor, and is the highest level of certification currently attainable for data destruction service providers. AccuShred is proud to be NAID certified and offer data destruction services to Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan area businesses.

The choice is clear. Physically destroying your old business electronics is the only way to guarantee the security of your old records. We have the experience, knowledge, and stringent security practices in place to shred your old hard drives and relevant electronic devices that may hold sensitive data. For more information about our paper shredding and data destruction services, contact AccuShred today.