Why You Should Shred Old Hard Drives

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Hard drives play a large role in the data storage for universities and businesses; however, they don’t last forever. When your hard drive reaches the end of its life, it’s important to dispose of it properly to protect the safety of your institution from a legal and financial standpoint. To learn more about why you should shred old hard drives, continue reading.

Deleted data isn’t really gone

Just because you delete a file from a hard drive and empty it from the recycling bin doesn’t mean that the data really disappears. The deleted data still exists, and someone can recover it. As such, you need to completely destroy the hard drive, rather than just wiping it, to prevent people from accessing the data on it.

Hard drives can take a beating

Hard drives can undergo a lot of damage before their data is completely unrecoverable. After being submerged in water, beaten, and punctured, skilled hackers can still often access their data. To ensure the data is completely destroyed, use specialized shredding equipment to slice it into small pieces.

Avoid legal trouble

Keeping old hard drives is a security liability. Organizations are legally required to protect financial, personal, and health records from unauthorized access. If data breaches occur, your university or company could face serious legal trouble, which will ultimately cost you an extensive amount of money. It could also potentially land you in jail. It’s important to ensure that data is rendered completely uncoverable.

Protect the longevity of your business

As a business, protecting consumer data is essential. In addition to landing you in serious legal trouble, failing to properly destroy sensitive data can cause irreparable damage to your business’s reputation. If clients hear the data of another customer leaked, they will be highly unlikely to do business with you. This loss of trust could ultimately lead to the failure of your organization.

To ensure the data on your hard drives is completely destroyed, shredding is one of the best methods. To provide you with the machinery necessary to carry out this procedure, Crigler offers a variety of scrap recycling equipment, which includes hard drive shredders. When purchasing a new or used shredder for recycling and waste management, our experts will provide you with guidance to help you make an informed purchase suited to your unique budget and needs. For more information regarding our products and services, contact us today.