Many businesses have lots of reasons — or excuses — for keeping their old hard drives and devices. Some people keep them tucked away in closets, file cabinets, or rooms. However, you may think they’re safe because they’re packed away, but they’re not — keeping them hoarded away creates potential data breach problems — which we will discuss below. Here are some reasons why you should physically destroy your old hard drives and devices.
1. Data security
Old hard drives can prove to be a security liability for you, your family or your business. One single device can store hundreds upon thousands of confidential files, information, passwords, reports as well as other electronic information even if the hard drive is out-of-date or inoperable.
Believe it or not, deleting your digital files from your hard drive doesn’t completely delete the data. With the right tools and software, identity thieves and criminals can access your electronic information and find the data on the drive. This is why physical destruction of your hard drive or devices is the best way to protect your information. Physical destruction will remove the chance of having the information found or exposed.
2. Protect company data
Most companies will ask for their hard drive or devices to be destroyed once a project is finished or if the device is out-of-date or no longer used. This is the responsible and safe mindset and action for keeping your information safe. In situations where a company needs to destroy the hard drive because it has sensitive information, there is usually a backup created of the files. If you do not have a backup, it is suggested that you back up the work, files and reports before destroying your hard drive or device. No company wants to go through devastating consequences of a breach of data.
3. Keep the trust of your clients
Over the years, or perhaps just a year if you are a new business, you have earned the trust of your customers and clients. And that trust includes their data and information. Holding onto to old hard drives and devices can compromise their trust because it is susceptible to a data breach.
Hard drive destruction is very important once you no longer have use for your clients’ files. Once the old technology is physically destroyed, you can rest assured that their information won’t be released or exposed. In all, destroying your old hard drive and devices the responsible thing to do, especially for your clients, customers, and business.
4. Protect your reputation
If ever your data is released, or your client’s data, there could be major consequences. From legal to financial problems, stolen data can permanently alter your reputation or brand. Some have never recovered from having data stolen, and their clients are severely affected, too. This is why having old hard drives or devices physically destroyed helps keep you and your clients or customers safe. Again, it is a responsible move on your part to protect everyone from a potential data release or exposure, which could cause security problems for you and your clients or customers.
5. Create more space
Old hard drives and devices can take up a lot of space at the office or home, especially if the technology is old and clunky. Saving the hard drive or device because you need to access the information is not a good reason to keep it around, especially once you have a modern backup.
Most companies and homeowners know that every square inch counts, even more so if you’re paying premium fees for an office space. Clearing out the closets, file cabinets, and rooms full of old outdated hard drives and devices will give you room for new business activities or perhaps a hobby space.
6. Why wait?
As you can read from the above, there are plenty of good reasons for having your hard drive and devices physically destroyed. From data breaches to protecting your client and your reputation, having your old hard drives and devices physically destroy is the only possible way to protect the information. Reach out to your local provider and have your old hard drives and devices destroyed today.
