3 Things to Keep In Mind When Destroying Your Old Hard Drives

Hard drive data destruction may appear a simple process on the surface — destroy and dispose of old hard drives, and you are good to go. However, there is always room for error, especially when it comes to destroying electronic data. Destroying hard drives doesn’t mean data stored in them can’t be retrieved. Data thieves know all the ins & out and look for these rookie mistakes by businesses to take advantage of.

If you want to properly dispose of your electronic data, calling in an on-site electronic shredding company in Massachusetts is often the best path to go down. However, if you plan to do it yourself, pay special attention to these things:

Don’t throw your old computers and hard drives away

Even if you think you have properly wiped and destroyed your old drive, you may be mistaken. This is because even a broken microchip or film can contain a large amount of data, and data thieves can retrieve that crucial information within minutes if they get their hands on a destroyed drive. Besides, computer hardware and other electronic parts are toxic, posing a serious threat to the environment. In short, always take special steps to properly dispose of your computer and old hard drives to save your data and the environment.

Create a Backup

No matter how useless a hard drive seems to you, it still holds pieces of information that may prove pivotal to your business later. This is why creating a backup of data that you consider necessary is important before you completely format the drive and destroy it. The process may be lengthy but should not be overlooked. Take help from an onsite electronic shredding company in Massachusetts to save you from the hassles.

Send the destroyed drives for recycling

Once you have backed up all the crucial information from your old drive, destroying it until it shreds into small pieces is vital, but that’s not it. To ensure the shredded drive is inaccessible to data thieves, consider sending the trash to a recycling center. This will keep your data, if left any, safe and protect the environment from the toxic substances resulting from the smashed hard drives.

If you want to destroy your old electronics and hard drives safely and properly, get in touch with us today.