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Dispose of IT Equipment Without Sharing Secrets

The threat of data loss, coupled with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, has IT pros rethinking their disposal methods for computer gear.

By Shawna McAlearney

"There is a good feeling when you know you didn’t just throw something out, that you protected your organization and gave something back without being completely wasteful," he said.

Processes in place at the university since the late 1990s include using Disk Wipe from DTI Data to scrub hard drives. A few IT staff will take on as many as 75 machines at a time, every few years, McKenzie said. In some cases staff employ less technical methods, such as using tin snips to cut up the platters on hard drives to ensure there will be no breaches down the road.

"We will go as far as physically destroying the hard drive, depending on the sensitivity of the data," McKenzie said. "We don’t take any chances."

—Denise Dubie, Network World

Related Links:

• How to Get Rid of Old Computers

• Data Theft at the VA

• Money Lost on Piracy and Data Theft

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