1 in 12 IT directors ‘taken hammer to hardware’
A survey of IT Directors has revealed that 8% have taken a hammer to dispose of hardware containing valuable electronic data.
Some 12% admit to having submerged devices in water to try and destroy the hardware, and 18% have used drilling to do this. The most popular method is shredding (90% of IT Directors have used this), followed by data sanitation software (74%).
Carried out by DSA connect – an IT asset disposal company specialising in the permanent deletion and destruction of electronic data – the survey suggests that one of the reasons for IT Directors to sometimes take such drastic steps is that 82% are concerned about the security issues around the disposal of IT hardware.
Alarmingly, 10% of IT Directors interviewed described their employer’s knowledge of data erasure and disposal or IT hardware as average or poor. Some 12% who have carried out data erasure on equipment as part of their jobs, did not receive a certificate of proof for the work done.
When it comes to their employers disposing of IT tech and hardware, 82% of IT Directors say there is a growing focus on CSR issues, and 24% expect the focus here to increase dramatically over the next three years.
Says Harry Benham, Chairman of DSA Connect:
“Our findings show a real concern amongst IT Directors about the disposal of IT hardware and data. They are right to be worried because if they get this wrong they could face a huge fine, and damage to their reputation.
There are also a number of companies claiming to be professionals in erasing data and IT destruction, but they are not, and they can leave their clients exposed and liable for the mistakes they make.”
DSA Connect is an IT asset disposal specialist. It specialises in the erasure and destruction of electronic data using tools certified by CESG and approved by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It ensures that all data storage media and equipment is removed from a client’s premises and transported to its secure facility in unmarked, tracked vehicles.
The company was established in 2011 to partner the Ministry of Defence in developing the MoD’s asset disposal service.
