Media Destruction Best Practices that Protect Your Sensitive Data
Deleting files or overwriting data on old hard drives and backup tapes won’t protect you from identity theft. Sensitive information is recoverable by anyone with the right tools and specialized skills. So, as a security measure, you should always have your media physically destroyed. To make sure it’s destroyed in a safe, secure and environmentally-responsible manner follow our media destruction best practices:
Follow a Chain of Custody
Maintaining a tight chain of custody is at the heart of data protection. With a media shredding service, chain of custody is guaranteed whether you have your media destroyed on-site or off-site. Only uniformed and screened shredding technicians collect, handle, transport and destroy your media, adhering to strict chain of custody procedures at all times. All media destruction vehicles are alarmed and equipped with GPS tracking devices.
Verify Destruction
It’s essential to verify the destruction of your data. Fortunately, this doesn’t require you to destroy your media yourself. With on-site media destruction, you witness the process first-hand at your business premises. During off-site media destruction, the entire shredding process is captured via CCTV and archived. With both on-site and off-site media destruction, you should receive a Certificate of Destruction.
Ensure Compliance
Most business data destruction policies must comply with HIPAA, FACTA, SOX, and GLB privacy laws. A NAID AAA Certified hard drive shredding service ensures your business meets regulatory compliance standards when disposing of its digital media. The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) is the non-profit, standard-setting body for the information destruction industry.
To achieve AAA Certification, a hard drive shredding provider must pass annual, unannounced audits conducted by independent Certified Protection Professionals® (CPP). A passing grade is required to maintain AAA certification. During each audit, the following areas are assessed:
- Operational and facility security
- Information destruction processes
- Employee hiring practices
- Insurance liability coverage
These rigorous examinations ensure that your information is destroyed in accordance with federal regulations and state laws.
Recycle Your e-Waste
Safe and secure recycling of your media is just as important as protecting the information on it. You don’t want your e-waste dumped in a landfill where it will contaminate the environment. Using a hard drive and media destruction service helps ensure your digital devices are responsibly recycled after destruction. An authorized recycling partner separates the various metals and other materials and recycles them according to state and federal regulations.
Implementing and following our media destruction best practices will help you keep your business data confidential.
Pacific Records Management provides hard drive and media shredding services for businesses throughout Fresno, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto, and Napa and Solano Counties. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.