Blog: How IT Asset Disposal (ITAD) Is Important to Data Security and Protecting Your Brand

Every year, organizations discard millions of tons of outdated equipment. If not handled correctly, your old devices could be a security Achilles heel and cause damage to your brand. Considering the average loss per data breach is currently $8.94 million, it's critically important that none of the information stored on old computers, servers, tablets, smartphones, or printers falls into the wrong hands.

Here's a look at how CompuCom's IT asset disposal helps safeguard our customers' data and protects reputations through our eco-conscious processes.

Detailed Chain of Custody

As devices are pulled out of service and put into the IT asset disposition process, the first step in protecting the data on those devices is to keep track of where they are and who has access to them. From carefully packaging to shipping with vetted freight carriers, having a detailed chain of custody—from when devices leave the customer to the end of disposition—can help eliminate insecure variables. At CompuCom, we do that through our Advanced Configuration Centers in Paulsboro, New Jersey and Markham, Ontario. Our ITAD technologies track assets using the original serial number, manufacturer, and model. We also perform monthly counts of all projects within our facilities to verify that all assets are where they should be. We're proud of our historical variances of less than .01%.

Facility Security

A tightly controlled environment is a crucial aspect of any ITAD facility. Examples of what this looks like include:

Surveillance

Surveillance with cameras, metal detectors, and a 24/7 on-premises security team can discourage theft.

Access and Enforced Visitor Policies

Who gets into facilities can be limited with key-card access. Customer assets can be segregated into areas protected with an alarm system that is triggered when unauthorized individuals attempt access. To maintain visibility of who enters the building at any given time, many facilities require a visitor sign-in log in addition to requiring visitor escorts. It's not just visitors like customers that should be accounted for, but truck drivers and third-party vendors as well.

Data Security

During disposal, an iron-clad data wipe that renders data virtually unrecoverable can help keep a customer's data safe. This is especially true for customers with assets that still have market value or hard drives that they plan to redeploy. Facilities that provide such disposal methods have the capability to present their customers with certificates of destruction. This allows customers to hold the accountability of their facility partners as well as keep a record of their devices.

Tied to protecting data is the protection of corporate identities. One example of this is the removal of asset tags and other identification labels before disposition.

Reuse and Recycling

Electronics are the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the U.S. and make up 70 percent of the toxic waste, yet less than a quarter of it is recycled. Keeping as much e-waste as possible out of landfills helps meet organizations' sustainability goals and enhance the brand's reputation.

CompuCom's Advanced Configuration Center in Paulsboro, NJ, maintains environmental standards through stewardship programs like the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. This program encompasses a framework designed to minimize a facility's impact on the environment, help reduce the risk of pollution, and meet local, state, and federal regulations.

Reducing e-waste is a key component of IT sustainability, and one way to do this is by identifying devices that have resale value. A perk is the earnings a business makes from reselling devices, which can help offset the cost of buying new technology. Devices that no longer have value and cannot be resold can be transferred to a certified partner for EPA compliance, eco-conscious disposal, and e-waste recycling.

Don't Let Old Devices Come Back to Haunt You

While many organizations focus on implementing new technology, what happens to the devices it replaces can be just as important. Improper IT asset disposition can lead to data breaches and damage the reputation of organizations. Proper recycling aids sustainability initiatives and helps keep dangerous e-waste out of landfills.

Reach out to learn more about ITAD security and sustainability method, and hear how CompuCom's Advanced Configurations Center can help your business today!