In today’s world data security is of paramount importance. Regardless of whether you are implementing new technology in your organization or you are deleting old disks, it is important to test whether your data will be destroyed. This is particularly so with companies that deal with sensitive and/or confidential information belonging to their clients, unpublished information belonging to a company, or individuals’ records. In Toronto particularly, there are many technologically based companies that offer hard drive destruction Toronto to those who wish to discard their hard drives in a proper way. However, if you are willing to send the hard drives to a professional destruction service it is important to do it right before that.
Here’s a guide on how to prepare your hard drives for professional destruction in Toronto:
1. Back Up Important Data
When considering hard drive destruction, make sure to salvage any information which might prove relevant in the future, (copy it to a different place). It means that if your hard drives are to be crushed, the data will not be retrievable again. It is also important to move all the documents, files and software to other storage media or else to cloud storage service. Backing up is always important when you want to retain any data whether on an external drive or in a safe online backup and storage cloud service.
2. Identify a type of hard drive
Knowing the type of hard drive that you are disposing of will go a long way in making sure that you are getting its destruction in the right manner. Hard drives are in different form disk types that include the usual HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and the newer one SSD (Solid-State Drive). The data destruction process differs between these types:
- HDDs store data magnetically while most of them are recycled through shredding or crushing.
- SSDs convey data electronically, which is why degaussing or physical destruction (crushing or shredding) are appropriate for this kind of storage.
- Before donating your hard drives to a hard drive destruction Toronto service, compare the type of drive so that you can be sure that they have the right way of destroying each type of drive.
3. Remove Any Sensitive Components
If you are getting rid of a computer or device, it‘s also wise to erase every additional data that can be in other chips and gadgets like memory chips, backup batteries, USBs, and SD cards. Although it may not be destroyed by the usual procedures used to destroy hard drives, these components also contain data that needs to be erased.
4. Erase Data Using Software (Optional)
For those extra measures for the business or person, it is advisable to erase the hard drives before destroying them. However, in addition to contacting professional Toronto HD shredding services it is also possible to bring extra layers of protection and use software that overwrites the data with random information. There are many proven programs for data wiping that can be used. Remember this step is only relevant if you have planned on physical destruction of the drives.
5. Manage conformity to data security standards
To ensure that your hard drives are properly disintegrate before disposal, check that the hard drive destruction Toronto service provider adhere to data destruction best practices. The destruction process should also ensure that it meets legal regimes such the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) regarding how businesses in Canada should treated Personal information. Ideally at the end you should be given a Cert of Destruction to guarantee that the drives were indeed destroyed and that the data was well wiped.
6. Select a Certified Hard Drive Destruction Company
One of them is choosing a certified and experienced professional hard drive destruction company that guarantees complete confidentiality of information deletion. Choose a service provider that has an R2 Responsible Recycling certification or has a NAID National Association for Information Destruction certification. A certified provider will not only guarantee that your drives are destroyed fully but will also disposes the e-waste in the right manner minimizing on environmental effects.
7. Take Physical Destruction Into Account
For additional security, most hard drive destruction Toronto have mobile services which ensures that the destruction takes place at the company’s premises. On-site services enable you to monitor the demolition process, and you get an extra comfort thereby. Physical destruction through shredding or crushing of the storage devices is also accomplished in order to ensure that your hard drives are beyond recuperation.
8. Keep Records of Destruction
Thirdly, for businesses dealing with sensitive information, it useful to document the destruction process. Almost every professional hard drive destruction service will issue to you a Certificate of Destruction which contains information about the devices that were destroyed and the process that was used. Storing the documentation ensures that your business is in compliance with the data protection laws in your jurisdiction, apart from being helpful should the process have to be audited or reviewed again at some other time.
Conclusion
Preconditioning your hard drives for IT asset destruction in Toronto is very important so as to guarantee your information and data to be adequately wiped off and your old storage devices properly disposed of. If your backup important data before disposing, determine the type of hard drive, if possible, erase the data using software(s) and lastly select a recognized disposal service, this will safeguard your information and eliminate all risks that accompany improper disposal. Consider this: hard drive destruction Toronto services provide the convenience of allowing your business to be protected from lawsuits and violation of data privacy acts, without hurting the environment.
