Why Data Wiping is must for Your Computers

 

For the private and especially for the companies, the Data Shredding is a key issue. Between the risk of theft of personal data, the GDPR and privacy policies, it becomes a fundamental aspect

 

How many use a sledge hammer instead of the "erase" option when it comes to erasing a general personal sleeve?

 

Probably not many, and we are not here to convince you. Because if we stop at the details, the Data Shredding becomes a fundamental issue that each person must be clear about in each situation with the protagonist, even a single byte of private information.

 

The topic involves everyone, why:

• Individuals protect themselves from the hazard of theft, healing and sale of what they thought had been eliminated, facing negative penalty.

 

• Companies, for both internal and customer data, protect themselves from anyone who wants to hinder or exploit that business. Furthermore, private law has grown strongly in most industrialized countries in recent years.

Therefore, you are faced with a delicate process that requires the right knowledge to know how to move.

 

Emptying the basket is not enough

The crux of the question we want to underline is precisely this: clicking "delete" is never enough.

It can pass for misleading. There is basically no other way to delete some files than to select the items and empty the trash. And it's true, in any device that is sold to the general public there is no alternative on the fly and it is so simple.

 

In early 2017, the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) conducted a study  with alarming numbers.

 

It has been estimated that 40% of all second-hand electronic devices offered for sale contain sensitive data , called Personally Identifiable Information (PII). A very high figure that translates into hundreds of millions of smartphones, tablets, laptops, hard drives and any other storage medium in the world.

 

Knowing what to do when reselling any of these items can save you from unpleasant situations.

And when it comes to business, the situation becomes even more delicate.

 

Do you have a business? Pay attention

Because if you don't pay attention to the matter, you will have to pay much more in the near future. In the business world there is a difference between large companies and small and medium-sized companies. On average, the former are usually prepared and equipped with all the necessary tools to follow this practice.

This is a major achievement of privacy laws that are increasingly seeing the light of day over time. An example is the GDPR, which has become the bible for data management in all companies in the European Union.

 

So while famous brands and large companies are better equipped , with more resources, money, a faster pace and even tighter controls, the universe of small and medium-sized companies is more uncertain.

 

The reasons why this happens are many and different from each other, but in front of the law they do not matter much. Any company that has to process any type of data (personal or customer) in its work must take all the necessary precautions:

 

• In many cases, customer data is protected by law . You need to have a person who knows you and enforces it according to the country in which the company is located. Furthermore, the seriousness of a brand depends largely on its interest in the public.
• The company's own data is usually of great value . In the wrong hands they could have lethal consequences, giving information, projects and access to who knows who and in what part of the world.

 

So if emptying your basket isn't enough, what do you really have to do to sleep peacefully at night? The options are different.

 

1. Overwrite:

Imagine a glass of Coca-Cola. Now turn on the tap in the sink and start filling that same glass with water non-stop. What is going to happen?

 

The principle of overwriting is the same: if the data cannot actually be erased, the alternative is to store something in its place. Like the old videotapes where it was possible to record new sequences by sacrificing the old ones, it also works in the digital world.

 

Valid for both individuals and companies, the task is to load "junk files" into the device memory until it is full. In this way, all possible spaces reserved for the dormant bytes will be closed and finally they will be free to cease to exist.

 

2. Demagnetization (Degaussing)

More complex method than the previous one and suitable for the business world. But above all, valid only for storage systems with magnetic fields; an example among all HDD, very different from SSD system.

 

This system consists of the use of a machine called a degausser or demagnetizer, in which the process is carried out. The memory medium here is subject to demagnetization , which implies the literal shredding of any information contained in it, even the most imperceptible.

 

The positive aspect of demagnetism is its total guarantee of not leaving a trace.

On the other hand, there are various risks associated with damage to the storage device, making it unusable in the future.

 

Also, the cost of a machine for the process can be a hurdle for some small businesses.

 

3. Physical Shredding

The title speaks for itself; As was said at the beginning, get the hammers out and let's go to the dances. Because even in this situation where the solution may seem so trivial, there are strict rules to follow.

 

First of all, let's point out that it is not unusual or even stupid to physically destroy memory media. On the contrary, it is a common practice when the cost-benefit ratio is compared with one of the two previous systems, or because the data in question would be too valuable.

 

And also, it is advisable to leave this practice in the hands of those who do this work . This is because the way to destroy a device and make data recovery impossible is not so immediate.

The steps required are many, with the use of equipment and trained personnel. If it is not exact, it will still be possible to put its bytes in the crumbs of a hard drive.