Stolen corporate data can be as valuable as gold on the black market. Identity theft criminals and fraudsters pay top dollar for personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Having a final disposition solution for your expired hard drives and computer media is critical, but not all hard drive shredding companies are equal. Ask the following questions when selecting a hard drive shredding partner to make sure your data stays safe:
Question 1: How do you destroy my data?
If you are not careful, your sensitive financial, customer, and employee data could end up on the black market. Make sure a potential hard drive shredding partner destroys your data within a strict chain of custody. If a potential provider cannot specify their destruction processes, keep looking.
Question 2: Are you NAID AAA Certified?
The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) provides oversight for the paper shredding and media destruction industry. To achieve NAID AAA Certification, a hard drive shredding company must pass audits by third-party security professionals confirming their compliance with the following requirements:
- Personnel screening practices
- Equipment and facility safety
- Liability Insurance
A NAID AAA Certified hard drive shredding partner destroys your computer media in a manner that adheres to the highest standards in the shredding and destruction industry.
Question 3: Do you offer proof of destruction?
A reputable hard drive shredding provider records the serial numbers of your drives prior to destroying them. Afterwards, they issue you a Certificate of Destruction that lists the date of destruction and the serial number of each destroyed device.
Question 4: Is my shredded waste recycled?
Mishandled electronic waste (e-waste) poses a risk to precious environmental resources. Make sure your hard drive shredding partner recycles the raw materials of your destroyed devices.
Question 5: Can I talk with your customers?
Any hard drive shredding company can claim to be the best, but experience and reputation speak volumes. To determine the true quality of hard drive shredding company, talk with their current clients. A reputable hard drive shredding provider will share customer references.
Richards & Richards offers shredding, hard drive destruction, media destruction, and electronics recycling solutions for businesses throughout Nashville. For more information about hard drive shredding services, please call us at 615-242-9600 or complete the form on this page.
