What is Data Destruction?

Every company, regardless of industry or size, collects and stores sensitive data. From social security and credit card numbers, to medical records, to names, addresses, and other personally identifiable information, your company is responsible for safeguarding that information, and liable should it fall into the hands of bad actors. However, many companies only take the appropriate precautions with active sensitive data stored on computers and company servers, and miss a critical step in the IT lifecycle: secure data destruction. 

Data destruction is the process of destroying data stored on hard drives and other forms of electronic media so that it's completely unreadable and can no longer be accessed. There are many widely available methods of data destruction, some of which are thorough, compliant, and 100% permanent, and others which are better off avoided. It is critical to choose a data destruction solution that will protect you from any future liability in the event of a post-life data breach, and to have the appropriate knowledge in order to make that choice. 

Over the next few months, Pufpish President David Faverio will cover some of the considerations and complexities of data destruction in a LinkedIN informational series, starting with what to consider when choosing a data destruction company and the importance of NAID AAA Certification. Make sure to follow Pupfish Sustainability Solutions in order to be notified when new topics in this series are available, and let us know in the post comments if there are any questions about ITAD and the data destruction process that you’d like us to tackle.