Protect Your Private Data: Learn to Destroy It.
By now, we know the importance of shredding private paper documents to prevent security and confidentiality breaches; but what about the other ways we store data such as hard drives, CDs or DVDs? Non-profit and faith-based organizations frequently collect and store sensitive personal and financial information, of their members and the entity itself. You should know about—and use—a few key methods of data destruction to ensure privacy of digital information.
Electronic data stored on magnetic media should be degaussed (read: “erased”) to ensure total data destruction. Essentially, degaussers are machines, or hand-held devices, that incorporate technology to completely de-magnetize media.
Simply ship your hard drives, cartridges or magnetic media to a company that specializes in degaussing and it will send them back to you once the information is erased, without a trace of data remaining on them.
To ensure maximum security, optical media, such as CDs and DVDs, should be destroyed in equipment that de-surfaces or grinds the disks much more thoroughly than a typical optical disk shredder. While a shredder only cuts up the disk into strips or small pieces, an optical disc grinder sands off the surface to any disc, thoroughly removing all information.
All businesses—non-profits and faith based included—should incorporate data-destruction best practices in their internal controls. For more tips on keeping your business’s information—and finances—safe and secure, email Lynn@onlinestewardship.com or call us at 904-398-4747.
But don’t destroy this blog—save it for future reference!
