Types of Media to Shred for Data Protection

There are various types of media that can contain personal and confidential information, such as hard drives, cd’s, dvd’s, usb's/flash drives, and more. When running a business, there will come a time some of these items will need to be replaced with new ones and you’ll need to assure any data stored on these media devices is unrecoverable. If these items were to get into the wrong hands, it could cause devastating effects for you, your clients, or patients. That’s why having these items shredded for recycling will reduce the risk of identity theft and data harvesting.

For businesses storing sensitive client or patient information, proprietary data, or even your personal computer or devices at home containing personal information, it’s important to ensure that the data on these devices is destroyed properly and securely. While some devices can be wiped or degaussed, the method of shredding and recycling media is the most secure and compliant way of protecting any data the devices may still contain. There are various regulations and laws to adhere to and business owners risk their reputation and large fines for not properly protecting and destroying data securely.

What is Data Destruction?

The goal when destroying data is to make it completely unreadable or unretrievable from the media device it was originally stored on. Simply deleting files is not sufficient. The files or data may still be stored on that device or memory chip. Shredding hard drives, flash drives, and other media will give you peace of mind knowing they have been physically grinded into a granular unrecognizable state as opposed to the method of wiping/sanitization or degaussing.

Shredding hard drives and other media involves running the items through an industrial strength shredding machine. These can also be found on some mobile shredding trucks. The shredder cuts the media into tiny bits and pieces. At this point, any data being stored on the hard drive or media is useless and unretrievable.

What Types of Media Can be Shredded?

Most types of media containing data or personal information can be shredded. Here are some examples:

• Internal Hard Drives
• Micro Hard Drives
• External Hard Drives
• CD’s & DVD’s
• SIM Cards
• USB/Flash Drives
• Floppy Disks
• X-ray Film
• Microfiche & Microfilm
• Credit & Debit Cards

Some media is intended for single use, such as cd’s or dvd’s, however, information from these types of media can’t easily be removed. Having media shredded and recycled by a professional company with the proper grinding equipment makes these items useless, which helps eliminate the risk of data breaches, identity theft, and misuse of sensitive or confidential data.

Certified Destruction

Once the data destruction services for your hard drive or other media has been completed, you will want a Certificate of Destruction. This document is your proof showing safe and secure data destruction following all local, state, and federal regulatory requirements ensuring the protection of customer and client personal data. The Certificate of Destruction is provided by the professional and reputable data destruction company you partner with to perform the services.

How BWS Can Help with Your Media Destruction Needs

At Biomedical Waste Services, Inc. (BWS), we have over 45 years experience safely collecting, transporting, and shredding records, documents, hard drives, and other media containing confidential and personal identifiable information generated by a variety of clients in the mid-Atlantic area, including Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  We will ensure all media, electronics, or other data storage devices you’re ready to retire are completely grinded to a fine particle state. Once shredded, the materials are sent onto our recycling partners for reuse and never to a landfill. Partnering with a professional, reputable company who understands regulations and how to properly manage confidential data will help keep you legally compliant, while maintaining client privacy and your company’s reputation. 

BWS, Inc. is committed to providing our customers with secure, reliable hard drive and media data destruction services they can count on to keep them compliant and protect their client’s confidential information.  Call or contact us today for a free quote or to schedule your media destruction appointment.

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