Archive for category: Data Security

The tech world has changed tremendously over the last two decades. There are so many amounts of digital data created every second. This deluge isn’t slowing down, and the rate of data creation keeps on increasing. With the creation of so much data comes the eventual need for data destruction.

According to one International Data Corporation (IDC), the digital world is expanding every day, at 40% annually. It is, therefore, essential to ensure confidentiality. Various companies are responsible for storing, generating, and securing large amounts of this type of data. The International data corporation was able to discover that consumers and companies’ employees were able to create around two-thirds of the data points.

When data is stored correctly, it will be a significant advantage to a business. It will help the companies serve their customers better, fine-tune on their day to day business, and forecast their prospects. That way, the market can generate valuable information that is useful for its growth in the future. In St. Louis, companies have been able to come up with various ways to help maintain valuable data and also develop multiple strategies for ensuring confidentiality.

The point here is, with more data in the display, the chances are high that there will also be an increased responsibility. The more data that the companies can create, the more effort they must apply in managing it and also destroying it in a way to protect the consumers’ and employees’ privacy. There are ways through which companies have been using so that they may ruin this confidential information instead of leaking it to the public.

The data breach statistics have continued to expand, and various compliance regulations have been getting tighter every day. The legal fees and fines related to non-compliance usually vary widely. Companies should get ready to pay more as courts and class action lawyers will offer almost zero help when it comes to matters of data misuse. Therefore, one is required to come up with ways through which they can work on making sure that various data destruction categories are correctly put in place.

With people being sued for exposing critical consumers’ information, various measures have been put in place to ensure proper data destruction.

What is Data Destruction?

The correct definition for data destruction is that process of destroying information confidentially without leaking any information or leaving any traces behind. The process can either be through digital or paper and must be done according to the industry’s best practice and set compliance standards.

Secure data destruction will help overwrite sensitive information while leaving the original materials unreadable. There are many St Louis data destruction set standards that have been rated among the best.

Data that has not been destroyed is vulnerable to identity theft among other things. According to a study done in 2015, around 48% of the smartphones, secondhand drives had data that contained very sensitive information, videos, and photos accordingly. Most of the time, there is a need to have data destruction categories that work perfectly well. With the advancement of technology, people have devised various ways of storing crucial information.

These stakes are even higher for the larger organizations and companies as well and thus a need to ensure there is confidentiality in every sector. When a company fails to sanitize the leased computer, you may compromise the information of your clients who may later sue you for negligence. You may end up paying hefty fines for the damages caused because of exposing close details relating to your clients. Eventually, you may lose your businesses because clients will no longer entrust you with their details.

Data Destruction Laws

As the information sources keep on expanding and gaining new momentum, so has the government regulations. St Louis data regulations are not different from other states. There are several federal and state laws that mandate companies to properly destroy data to protect their employees and consumers as well. They have been able to be implemented to the core, and many companies are complying as per the best practice standards.

HIPAA

The HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a strict law passed in 1996 when the health sector started relying on digital systems in administrative and clinical settings. The data is meant to protect clients’ sensitive information which, if not correctly disposed of, might result in compromising their privacy. It will enhance the protection of all the medical records and disclosure as well.

HIPAA has extremely stringent data destruction protocols which include the following:

1. The labeled prescription bottles should be stored in opaque bags before a disposal contractor destroys them.
2. The paper records have to be pulverized, shredded, purpled, or burned until all the patient information becomes unreadable and can’t be reconstructed.
3. The electronic data should be cleared using magnetic methods or overwriting software. These methods will leave no traces of evidence behind.

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

This law was enacted in 1984 and has subsequently been updated six times. These editions were done to reflect the significant changes in technology and data technology. Things have been changing very fast in the data industry, and there is a need to capture all of the information necessary. This law has prohibited accessing a computer without authority from the user. It was also designed to deal with hackers who have always worked towards stealing critical information from other networks. Things are changing, and the punishments herein can be severe and may result in major criminal convictions.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

The famous Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is the law that mandates the various financial institutions like mortgage lenders, banks, and credit unions to explain how they share their information and the policies they apply. They also help them protect various sensitive information, which may end up in the hands of hackers and causing a big mess. The St Louis data destruction procedures are required to be very consistent with the famous Federal Trade Commission’s disposal regulations. That is why there are strict data destruction categories in that order to ensure the safety of clients and staff as well. Banks and other financial institutions hold critical information regarding their customers, which might be compromised to siphon money from their accounts.

Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002

This law was enhanced to respond to the various financial sector scandals. The bill comes in to protect the investors from all manners of corporate fraud. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002(SOX) has managed to set a particular guideline for auditing, retaining, and destroying every bit of financial data that fraudsters can use to get information. Most of the industry shareholders have suffered a big blow after their data has been left to be viewed by enemies and opportunists.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA)

FACTA is an amendment to the once-famous Fair Credit Reporting Act. The law was enacted in 2003 and has been protecting various consumers form any form of identity theft. The bill also argues that all businesses, regardless of industry or size, must protect the consumer data or be held accountable. In 2005, the FACTA also factored in some specialized data disposal guidelines. This law has helped enhance the industry’s safety. These bodies have always worked closely to ensure that St Louis data destruction procedures are followed accordingly. They also work directly with various clients in ensuring that compliance is adhered to among several arrays of industry standards.

Various Tips for Data Destruction Compliance

Data can be referred to as a double-edged sword. It is precious to companies but can also be very destructive when it has been mishandled. It has always helped various companies understand their consumer trends. When a company fails to maintain an adequate date destruction compliance, the whole thing can turn against him with hefty penalties and lawsuits. The overall result can be traumatizing because of the reputation damage that may bring a business to a standstill. The St Louis data destruction experts have always worked to ensure that they enable corporations to safeguard on their overall business interests.

There are several steps that many companies can institute to remain compliant in the sector. They include:

1. Establishing a Data Destruction Policy

Maintenance of data compliance always begins with the creations of policies that surround the St Louis data destruction process. It should be analyzed by the various data destruction categories to enhance the smooth flow of activities.

A company should be evident in the data they would like to protect. Not all the information is created equally, and it is essential to help identify which documents should be included in the data destruction procedures. In the drafting policies process, the companies must involve representatives from various departments and ensure all improvement opportunities and weak points are considered. It will help them improve on privacy during the next destruction period.

Kindly it is good to note that enforcing the policies is very important as creating them as well. There should be a regular audit of the St Louis data destruction policies to ensuring that all the requirements set aside are being met.

2. Digitizing Records

Some companies are required to keep hard copies for some individual records for a particular duration of time. In these exceptional cases, there are several methods and various retention schedules for securely destroying the paper documents. It is, therefore, essential to enhance a sound filing system that will have disposable materials ready.

However, the paper is usually an unnecessary liability. It is not possible to determine the person who read a piece of paper or even the one who did a copy of the same. Even the most advanced filing system cannot alert anyone when the paperwork is missing or even when the paper was audited. Such challenges require a different approach when handling such things.

The idea of digitizing records and smart data destruction software can be automatically configured to help delete documents as per the schedules. Companies will use this strategy to ensure that sensitive data is permanently destroyed when the right time comes. These data destruction categories will leave no evidence and protect consumers and clients from any unexpected risk of stolen information.

3. Using a Records Management Software

Technology advancement has continued improving the lives of people through making it easier and better. In the data destruction industry, there has been the introduction of the records management software, which has helped so many people achieve tremendous results in their industry. The software has been a one-stop-shop for the protection of data throughout its entire life cycle. When the processes are automated and independent audits done, the systems will be responsible for alerting the various users when these documents should be destroyed. Retaining certain materials for a more extended period may result in fines. So it is advisable to destroy these documents promptly or face the rule of law.

4. Working with Records Management Consultants

The various laws for data destruction and retention vary by state and industry as well. St Louis data destruction laws have always worked to ensure that the company is complying with the rules and mostly working with records management consultants who are still available. These consultants are the ones who decide whether the company is appropriately storing data and protecting them from costly fines and lawsuits.

What to Consider in a St Louis Data Destruction Vendor

When thinking of the best ways to destroy digital files or paper documents, you will need the input of a data destruction vendor who will be there to ensure that the information is deleted completed. Before hiring the vendor of your choice, it is essential to do adequate research to ensure that they meet the company’s individual needs. These people should also be qualified to protect your clients and employees as well.

When looking for a company to help secure St Louis data destruction, it is essential to ask the following questions:

1. Is the Vendor NAID (National Association for Information Destruction) Certified?

The association is the one recognized for setting the various industry standards for safe disposal of confidential information.

2. Do the Vendors provide destruction certificates?

These detailed documents will describe how the data was destroyed. These certificates would protect you in the event of a lawsuit or an audit.

3. Do these vendors adhere to the state, federal and industry standards?

This compliance is crucial. The vendor will be deemed illegal if it does not comply with the above standards on the data destruction policies. The use of technology comes after being registered by a professional body.

4. Do the companies provide a chain of custody?

When did St Louis data destruction through paper documents or hard drives, it is essential to know the persons who had access and when. This one will protect them if any breach of contract occurs.

As the data continues to increase, companies have developed unique ways to improve their operations and serve their customers with integrity. However, companies need to understand how they can protect themselves against data breaches and other forms of information mismanagement. This approach can only be enhanced by creating data destruction policies and hiring St Louis data destruction vendors.

The advent of the information age has brought about numerous advancements that have improved human lives significantly.

New products and technologies are coming out left and right and they have forever changed the way people handle different aspects of their daily lives. Everything from the way people communicate to the manner in which they work has been altered in some form or fashion by technological innovations.

There’s no denying that humanity is better off thanks to its many advancements, but bundled together with the benefits are challenges and problems that must be dealt with properly.

In this article, you will be able to learn more about some of the challenges that have emerged due in large part to the dawning of the information age. To be more specific, you’ll be able to understand more about data and how disposing of it can be an ordeal unto itself because of the electronic components involved.

Data destruction and decommissioning data centers are particular topics that will be discussed.

Later on, some solutions to the problems that stem from reliance on electronics will also be presented.

Let’s get started.

What Is Data Destruction?

Deleting data is something you probably do on a regular basis. When your smartphone is running low on space, you likely go into your gallery and see if there are some pictures you can delete. If there’s still not enough space available, you may check out your file library and see if there are podcasts there that you can erase.

At this point, the deleted files will no longer show up on your phone, but they have not been completely wiped away. Backups of the files in question were likely created previously and by following specific steps and/or using certain types of software, it may still be possible to retrieve the deleted files.

The point here is that deleting a file does not mean that it is completely gone for good.

You will need to do something more drastic such as destroying your data. Unlike with simple deletion, destroying your data means that your files will no longer be accessible or readable. They will essentially be wiped away.

Why Is Data Destruction Necessary?

For those wondering why it may be necessary to carry out a process such as data deletion, the main reason is security. 

Some people use their computers to store sensitive financial information or info about their identity. If you’re one of those people, you probably don’t want anyone snooping around your discarded belongings to gain access to those important pieces of information.

Data destruction ensures that all of those bits of personal information will be destroyed along with your computer or even your smartphone.

Companies also make use of data destruction methods often to protect themselves. Corporate espionage is still a concern for many businesses, especially those in highly competitive industries.

By destroying data, companies don’t have to worry about their databases being compromised by some rogue ex-employees.

How Is Data Destruction Carried Out?

There are different methods of data destruction available to individuals and companies and they are:

• Overwriting data
• Degaussing
• Physically destroying data storage units

The first method, overwriting data, works by essentially using up the space previously occupied by old data to hold new bits of information.

White Canyon Software notes that the method is similar to how people could basically create a new VHS tape by recording over the content the tape previously stored back in the day.

Simply overwriting data once should suffice, but in corporate settings, companies may opt to do it more times to ensure that the old data are gone for good.

Degaussing is another method often used for the purposes of destroying data. This method features the use of magnets. The magnets are used to destroy the storage unit housing the targeted data.

Going with this method can effectively ensure that the target data will no longer be readable or accessible, but it also means that the storage unit or hard drive itself will not be used moving forward. If all you want to accomplish is to destroy the data by any means, this method should work for you.

The last way to completely wipe data is to physically destroy the unit housing the bits of information. Various methods can be used to destroy a data storage unit. It’s important to be as thorough as possible to guarantee that the data will no longer be accessible.

Again, there are valid reasons why people or companies may want to destroy their data, but it is important to point out that there are some issues with the methods that are used. Namely, degaussing and physically destroying the storage units can produce electronic waste that will be difficult to dispose of properly on your own.

Why Is Decommissioning Data Centers Important?

Data centers are crucial to the day-to-day operations of many businesses. Bigger companies in particular usually have to work with mountains of data regularly. Understandably, they want to have all that data secured in a protected space and that’s where the data center comes in.

Companies have to create detailed plans regarding their data centers because they must be kept in a controlled and highly secured location. There’s also a constant need on the part of companies to keep their data centers up to date. For all those reasons, companies have to invest heavily in their data centers so that they can continue to be assets that provide useful benefits.

So, why then would companies ever consider decommissioning data centers?

Well, there are actually some good reasons for them to do so, as pointed out by Preferred Power Source.

One reason is that companies can improve their performance by decommissioning their data centers.

There is often a limit placed on how much electronic equipment can be upgraded. As soon as that limit is reached, holding on to and maintaining the pieces of equipment in the data no longer makes sense. They may even actively hold a company’s performance back if they continue to be used.

Running an old data center stocked with outdated equipment and a new one with more modern machinery simultaneously is not a good way of conducting business for any company. For that reason, companies simply opt to cut their losses and shut down the older facility.

Decommissioning data centers also benefit companies from a security standpoint.

When it comes to electronic equipment, items that have become outdated almost immediately become more vulnerable to security breaches. That’s just how things work.

By continuing to rely on those older electronics to house their data, companies are taking a huge risk. Bad actors with more sophisticated tools could enter a company’s database and steal valuable bits of information without ever being detected.

To put it simply, using old equipment in data centers is unwise for companies. Instead of stubbornly continuing to rely on them, the better move is to invest in decommissioning data centers that have become obsolete.

Also, it is absolutely essential for companies to move forward with decommissioning data centers. Refraining from using them any longer is not enough. Those items may still be holding on to data that your company uses. They cannot just be shut down and left alone.

Pieces of data center equipment that are no longer used must be correctly disposed of and the data they’re holding properly destroyed. Otherwise, they can still be points of vulnerability for a company.

Decommissioning data centers also benefit companies because it helps them recoup some of their initial investment. Professionals working on the task of decommissioning will be able to identify equipment that can still be of service to the companies. The companies can then go ahead and continue using them in their upgraded data centers.

It’s often true that decommissioning data centers will not allow companies to get back the majority or even just half of their initial investment, but doing so can still make it possible for them to save some money.

To recap, decommissioning data centers is a good move for companies because:

• It improves their performance in the long run
• It enhances security
• It makes it possible to recoup some of the initial investment

How Is Decommissioning Data Centers Done?

There are several steps involved in the decommissioning process, according to Network World.

Companies can start by hiring professionals to handle the task of decommissioning. After that, the professionals will usually do an inventory of the assets present in the data center and map dependencies.

Conducting inventory is an important step because it enables companies to identify any assets that may still be of use to them. It also lets them know which specific pieces of equipment need to be replaced once the new data center is up and running.

Mapping the dependencies in the older data center can also turn out to be useful as it gives companies a better idea of how to improve upon their previous facility

The process of decommissioning also typically involves removing the contents of the data center and destroying data that companies no longer need. That’s not all however.

Properly recycling the pieces of electronic equipment is also a must and that is easier said than done.

The Importance of E-cycling

Whether a company asks for data to be destroyed or for a data center to be decommissioned, there will likely be electronic waste produced at some point. Just as people are urged to recycle the waste they produce at home, companies and individuals alike are also encouraged to take part in the process of e-cycling when handling their older electronics.

Recycling and e-cycling are basically the same thing, except the latter is focused more on electronic items.

The need for people to recycle their electronic goods has never been more important. Many people may not be aware of this, but the rate at which electronic waste is being generated is already staggering.

Per this article from The Balance Small Business, around 41.8 million tons of electronic waste was produced worldwide in 2014. That’s a big problem for a few reasons.

First off, generating that much waste means that resources are not being utilized properly. By simply failing to recycle cell phones, estimates suggest that Americans get rid of around $60 million worth of silver and gold annually.

Recycling older laptops can also help significantly cut down on energy consumption. Specifically, recycling even just one million laptops could conserve enough energy that can then be used to power up more than 3600 homes in the United States alone.

Failing to recycle electronics in the right way is also having a real impact on the environment. Apart from contributing to the increased amount of hazardous materials in landfills, not recycling electronic goods also leads to increased consumption of natural resources that could have been used in other ways.

Soon enough, health problems may also emerge from the excessive amount of electronic waste being produced.

The amount of electronic waste present in the world can no longer be ignored. The issue of electronic waste must be addressed as soon as possible. You can do your part by making e-cycling a part of your waste disposal routine.

Why E-cycling Is Best Left to the Professionals

Similar to data destruction and decommissioning, e-cycling is something that you will be better off leaving up to the professionals.

They can quickly identify the electronic components that may still be of use to your or your company, thus saving plenty of time and money. Companies that specialize in handling electronic waste may also be able to offer supplemental services such as data destruction that you may end up needing.

On top of all that, entrusting your electronic waste recycling needs to the professionals is also a good move because it saves you from the task of navigating specific laws. According to How Stuff Works, laws governing the disposal of electronic waste can vary from one state to another.

You could get in trouble for breaking the law even if you unwittingly did so. It’s better to err on the side of caution and simply call on the professionals to take care of e-cycling for you or your company. The fees that come from doing so are small prices to pay in exchange for knowing that your electronic waste is being handled responsibly and correctly.

Conclusion

Data destruction, decommissioning data centers, and e-cycling can all be complex tasks, but they are necessary for your security, the health of your finances, and the wellbeing of the planet. It’s understandable if you are hesitant to invest in those practices at first, but they can be immensely beneficial in the long run. Contact CJD with any questions you may have or to learn more about our services.