Keep in mind that according to many regulatory requirements including HIPAA and GLB, your organization remains liable for your data despite having contracts and agreements in place with third-party vendors. So, carefully vetting your hard drive sanitation and destruction company is essential.
The Good VS Bad: Choosing a Hard Drive Sanitization & Destruction Company
Unfortunately, not all digital data destruction companies adhere to the same standards. A good data destruction firm will combine ethical business practices and secure/vetted policies and procedures with long-established expertise. However, many so-called professional hard drive sanitization companies are lacking in one or both of these areas.
Choosing the right hard drive sanitization and destruction company should be done with proper vetting. After all, you are entrusting your most sensitive information and company’s reputation to someone outside of your organization. Qualified, professional companies will take that responsibility seriously and protect your interests every step along the way. Disreputable ones put your company at risk by using unvetted staff, cutting corners with their procedures, and failing to implement access controls or operational procedures.
A good hard drive sanitization and destruction company will:
1. Implement a policies and procedures plan for providing verifiable chain-of-custody.
2. Perform on-site shredding – allowing you to witness and verify that your information has been completely destroyed prior to leaving your custody.
3. Record serial numbers for each hard drive and document implemented techniques.
4. Issue a detailed Certificate of Destruction.
The easiest way to differentiate the companies you can trust from the ones you can’t is to ask about their third-party certification.
Third-Party Certification: How It Protects You
The National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) is the largest international certification organization for the information and data destruction industry. Its primary purpose is to act as an independent auditor for hard drive sanitization, shredding, and destruction companies, such as E-Waste Security.
With annual and random audits, NAID checks a company’s compliance in 22 critical areas including:
- Incident Response Preparedness
- Employee Training
- Regulatory Compliance
- Criminal Background Checks for All Staff
- Employee Drug Screening
- Access Controls & Operational Security
- Approved Equipment, Policies, and Procedures
- Confidentiality Agreements (NDAs)
E-Waste Security is NAID Certified for the mobile destruction of hard drives, SSDs, and other digital media such as backup devices and USB thumb drives. Our hard drive sanitization and destruction company has won contracts with organizations that have some of the most stringent requirements, including government agencies and major motion picture studios.
Explore the Industry’s Most Reliable Hard Drive Sanitization Company
E-Waste Security is a hard drive destruction and IT asset disposition company based in Los Angeles, CA. Our onsite data destruction and hard drive shredding service is NAID Certified and compliant with PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GLBA. We provide full-service IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) services including the purchase, removal, and recycling of computer equipment to provide our clients with a convenient solution for their decommissioning projects.
Contact Us Today for a quote.