Tips for hard drive destruction and disposal

Do a Google search on hard drive destruction and you'll find videos showing people chopping their disk systems with an ax or crushing their computers in a hydraulic press. While the destruction depicted may be entertaining, these short films don't address the consequences of improper Information Technology (IT) asset disposition: What if somebody recovers a drive you forgot to wipe, or reports you to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for improperly dumping your broken monitors?

Rule #1 of IT Disposal: Leave It to the Experts

As these scenarios suggest, technology waste presents a host of special problems. The best solution to these headaches is to engage a partner experienced in IT asset disposition. Destroying your old hard drives the right way — whether they're in your desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones — will protect your business from sensitive information being stolen, and keep you in compliance with ever-changing e-waste laws.

Ask yourself these questions when parting ways with your old electronics:

1. "Who's taking my hard drives to their final resting place?"

We've all read the horror stories: Hospital hard drives stolen from a third-party vendor's vehicle; computer equipment lifted from backs of trucks. When it comes to e-waste, you have to ensure your hard drives are safe en route and reach their destination. Team with a trusted partner that provides screened and vetted security personnel and vehicles equipped with top-of-the line alarm systems.

2. "Will your destruction routine permanently delete all the data?"

Data breaches in the health industry have become a major problem. According to Healthcare Dive, the Ponemon Institute recently surveyed industry leaders and discovered that 62% suffered a data breach within the past year. Half of those breaches endangered patient data. With these sobering facts in mind, make sure your vendor can guarantee that your drives are completely destroyed, and that their data is unrecoverable.

3. "Did I get everything?"

Hard drives are embedded in electronics ranging from laptops to tablets to video game consoles. If you're not sure what you need to destroy, a trusted partner can help you create a data destruction program that takes into account all of your e-waste needs.

4. "OK, you turned my hard drives into confetti. Thanks! How can I prove it to regulators?"

Finding a reliable partner for hard drive destruction is of the utmost importance. Your partner should be able to provide a certificate of destruction stating that all of the data stored on your electronic media has been properly erased and all hardware has been appropriately discarded. If the firm can't give you one, you're risking failed audits and compliance problems.

Even though it looks fun online, you probably weren't considering hammering your hard drives as a realistic solution. But doing a DIY on IT waste disposal is equally impractical and dangerous. Better to team with a trusted partner who can help you destroy your old devices safely and efficiently, avoiding a lot of heartache later on.