E waste Recycling Chennai: Avoid 6 Hard Drive Shredding Mistakes

Hard drive shredding for e waste recycling Chennai needs to become a common practice for organizations and individuals. Financial information, medical records, passwords, even intellectual property information, and a lot more are stored on our devices and hard drives. What actually is a hard drive?

A hard disk drive or hard drive is a hardware component that stores digital content and data on computers. Though every computer comes with an internal hard drive, users also get an external hard drive. It is for higher storage needs.

But if a hard drive falls into wrong hands, it can be a goldmine of sensitive information.

What Does 'Hard Drive Shredding for E waste Recycling Chennai' Mean?

Hard drive shredding for E waste Recycling Chennai is the process of dismantling a hard drive into smaller parts. These days, organizations and individuals store and collect vast amounts of sensitive information. Hence, they undertake many proactive measures to protect themselves from cyber threats. Hard drive shredding is a highly effective technique to render your sensitive data irrecoverable. It is an essential step in the comprehensive data security strategy.

Real-World Example of Failed Data Destruction

In the year 2016, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC faced a $35 million fine. All because of mishandling customers' personal identifying information or PII. They had actually hired a moving firm with no experience in IT asset disposal. The moving company failed to destroy the data or recycle the electronics as expected. Also, Morgan Stanley didn’t request proof of data destruction. Later, it became a huge problem.

6 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid While Hard Drive Shredding in Chennai

Six mistakes that commonly occur during hard drive shredding for E waste Recycling Chennai, plus tips to avoid them are:

1. Don’t fail to evaluate the sensitivity of your data

It is the first and foremost step to follow in the procedure of data disposal. Information related to personal documents, financial records, and business data are of utmost sensitivity and should be prioritized for shredding.

Tip For You: Classify your data by conducting an audit. Decide on which data is critical and requires secure destruction for E waste Recycling Chennai.

2. Don’t solely rely on older methods like magnets

It is a commonly used method called Degaussing, where a strong magnet is used to corrupt the drive. It may work in cases of hard disk drives but not in cases of solid-state drives. Modern day drives have stronger inbuilt defenses against magnets. Using combination shredders for SSDs and HDDs is better. Also, without an advanced destruction strategy, it can be possible to recover old data. Hence, many old methods now are not as reliable with modern-day advancements.

Tip For You: Keep updated with the latest destruction tools. Or opt for reliable companies that offer hard drive shredding services for E waste Recycling Chennai.

3. Don’t forget erasing your data before shredding

Erasing data before going for the shredding process can provide an added layer of security. It is a misconception that shredding alone guarantees data security. We should wipe data from our hard drives using advanced and certified software to ensure more security against hackers.

Tip For You: Go for a two-step approach: Firstly, wipe the data using trusted software, and finally, go for shredding.

4. Don’t go for any unreliable service

It is a common mistake among companies and can do a lot of damage to not only organizations but consumers too. An unreliable hard drive shredder may not adhere to industry guidelines, increasing the risk of beaches.

Tip For You: Look for a shredding service that is certified by organizations so that its shows credibility.

5. Don’t forget proper documentation

It is a healthy and safe practice. Maintain an extensive document about the entire hard drive destruction. It can contain info on the types of data on the hard disk, who performed the destruction and who authorized it and much more. In case of any disputes, it can be your proof.

Tip For You: Ask for a certificate of destruction from the service provider. There has to be all details on the hard drives destroyed and their serial numbers.

6. Don’t neglect environmental regulations

There are proper regulations related to global and national standards when it comes to hard drive shredding for E waste Recycling Chennai. A hard disk is made of toxic metals and plastic components. However numerous individuals fail to consider the ecological impact of shredding. They end up causing a lot of harm to the environment and may get into legal trouble too.

Tip For You: Select a shredding provider that sticks to environmental regulations.

Conclusion

As we go forward, businesses prefer to store heaps of data on hard drives. Now, we no longer have cabinets filled with paper records. But the downside is incidents of security breaches are increasing too. It is dangerous. In 2023, India stood 5th among the most breached countries. Hard drive shredding for E waste Recycling Chennai seems to be an effective process to curb data thefts. You need to be mindful of certain factors while going for hard drive shredding. This includes choosing reliable data destruction services, maintaining proper documentation, and educating others. You can ensure that your data remains secure and your organization stays compliant by avoiding common mistakes in the first place.