How secure are professional hard drive destruction services?

Hard drive shredding is collecting the no longer used or unrequired hard drives and then destroying them to avoid any kind of data leakage. It is considered a very secure way to completely destroy the sensitive information stored in it so that it cannot be misused. Hard drive shredding services are mostly availed by people sitting in authoritative positions of big companies. They have the responsibility to safeguard their data from being handed over to the wrong hands. And hard drives are the hub of all kinds of information which if released may cause serious damage to the reputation of the company.

Popular Destruction Methods used by Professionals and their effectiveness/security-

1. Shredding-

This is certainly the most effective method of hard drive shredding. In this method, you have to put your hard drive into a shredder that is specifically designed for this purpose. After putting it on, you have to press the green button and step back to watch it turn into small pieces. In this process, the main platter of the hard drive which stores all the information gets shredded. And it is nearly impossible to restore those pieces and extract data from them. However, this method must only be operated by professionals of hard drive shredding services because a shredding machine is very costly and cannot be afforded by everyone. Moreover, buying a machine only for a one-time purpose is not a wise choice. Another reason why you must refrain from using shredder frequently is because it seriously damages the environment by releasing non-eco-friendly contaminants.

2. Melting-

Strong acids are poured over hard drives to melt them down in a manner that they cannot be further reformed. This method is considered at the final stage of hard drive destruction. This process must be undertaken by a professional only unless you know what happens when you throw metal into a molten vat liquid tub. But in a contrary situation, you should not do it by yourself because it is too dangerous. The hydrochloric and nitric acids that are used in the procedure of melting are hazardous for human skin and have serious side effects equal to death.

3. Disintegrating-

A little like shredding, the method of disintegration also involves cutting the hard drive into small pieces making it impossible to be restored. The device used in this process is known as a disintegrator. This process is quite successful after completion only if you can buy disintegrators. This device has very specific requirements regarding the setup and environment around it which is quite annoying because it is not possible to match them within the four walls of your office.

Qualities that make professional hard drive destruction services secure-

1. Properly Equipped-

A professional hard drive shredding company must possess all the equipment required for destroying the hard drive shredding services. The options must not be limited so that the customer can make a choice according to his own convenience and satisfaction.

2. Check the Mobility of Service Company-

You must check it essentially before hiring a hard drive shredding company. Because it is sometimes not possible to carry your hard drive to the service location. Hence see if the service providers hold the capacity of providing mobile facilities to their consumers.

3. See if the company obeys Laws-

Due to environmental concerns, there are separate laws regarding the hard drive destruction task. Therefore, you should have a thorough check on the hard drive shredding company's past record to see if they work in accordance with the law. If the company doesn't execute its work in compliance with state and federal e-waste disposal regulations then you must refrain from hiring it as a violation of law will affect you also.

4. Get details about their evidential policy-

The prime purpose of hard drive shredding is to avoid it from getting into the wrong hands. But with destruction services how will you be assured that your data is safely destroyed and has not been copied or misused. For this, you must have a look at the evidential policy of the company. See that they must provide a certificate on the task completion to give you reassurance. So that you can use that certificate against them in case of breach of contract in the court of law.

Conclusion

There are various other methods like drilling, degaussing, etc. which can be used for destroying hard drives. While most of the methods must be undertaken by professionals, you should also have some basic knowledge regarding it for emergency situations.

Allshred Services, we offer customized shredding services to meet the needs of your company. Whether you require off-site or on-site shredding services, hard drive destruction, product destruction etc. we can tailor our services to your needs.