da·ta (datə,ˈdātə): 1. Computing. The quantities, characters, or symbols on which
operations are performed by a computer, being stored and transmitted in the
form of electrical signals and recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical
recording media.
Data, in a
nutshell, is a collection of information – as mundane as a favorite cookie
recipe or as sensitive to medical records.
As business has evolved this information has moved from filing cabinets
to scanned documents and databases stored on a hard drive. Sensitive information used to be stored under
lock-and-key, now it’s hidden behind a password.
A lesson learned
during the 1979
US Embassy hostage crisis is a shredded document is not destroyed, simply
more difficult to decipher. The
revolutionaries occupying the Embassy painstakingly reconstructed numerous
documents thought to be destroyed. This
resulted in the disclosure of confidential information and the identities of
Embassy staff and intelligent assets. Events
like this resulted in the development and use of cross-cut shredders to make
the restoration of shredded documents far more difficult – but not impossible. Unless burnt to ash these documents CAN be
reassembled.
Data in the Digital Age
Advancements in
computers, data storage and how information is moved requires business to
update and replace equipment every four to six years. New programs require advancements in
operating systems and operating systems need more computing power. Data, images and documents require more
storage space. Twenty-years ago a 240MB
hard drive was considered large – now mobile phones are shipped with 16GB on
board. A mobile phone can store 64 TIMES
the amount of data as a twenty-year-old hard drive. These advancements necessitate continuous
upgrades of drives and storage devices.
It’s important to
know what happens to data and files once transferred to a new computer or hard
drive. “Deleted” data is not actually
deleted. Computer operating systems use
tables or nodes to identify where a file begins and ends. When a user initiates a DELETE command (or moves
a file to the Trash Can icon) the operating system does not delete the file, it
simply removes the pointers to the file and indicates the space is available to
over-written. Using an older reference:
it’s similar to placing a piece of tape over the holes on the bottom of a
cassette tape. The original music
remains until new music is recorded over.
Data Sanitization
Once files and data
are transferred from an outdated hard drive to a new computer it’s important to
consider how to dispose of the old drive.
There are many opinions as to best practice in hard drive
destruction. Some advocate removing the
drive from the computer, soaking it in salt water for several days, then
smashing it with a hammer. Others state
drilling a hole in the obsolete hard drive is sufficient for data
destruction. In both cases this
necessitates time to open the computer and remove the drive. Not only is this time-consuming, but will
require a drill press or buckets of salt water left about the office for
several days. This also assumes the computers
are intended for complete destruction. A
computer at the end of its lifecycle in a business environment may remain
perfectly viable in a classroom or other location.
Another option for
destruction is to pay an eRecycling company to handle the removal and
destruction of old computers and hard drives.
This assumes the company will not misuse the data and/or will actually
destroy the equipment. In 2012, executives
of a Denver-based e-cycler were convicted
in federal court for mail and wire fraud.
The company told customers the computers would be recycled in the United
States. Records were found showing the
equipment was sold to overseas companies and sent off-shore intact.
A clean, affordable
method of insuring company records, patient information, and proprietary
databases are securely wiped from obsolete computers and hard drives is data sanitization. Data sanitization programs are easy to
install and do not require disassembly of the computers. Once the program has securely
wiped all the data from obsolete equipment a company can confidently donate the
computers or turn them over to an eRecycler for proper destruction.
Companies like WhiteCanyon™
Software offer programs like WipeDrive and SystemSaver which
are very effective data sanitization tools.
These programs provide companies and individuals peace of mind that
sensitive data will not end up in the wrong hands due to improper hardware
disposal.
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