Not so long ago, I was having a conversation with an IT professional at a state university. The topic of discussion was what happens to all of the computers on campus when they get too long in the tooth and get herded off to that great big systems unit roundup in the sky. Their answer: the old machines are gathered up, their hard drives “wiped” and then the machines are sent back into the community via second-hand non-profit stores. Such as ARC or Goodwill.
These machines are easy to spot, with university decals specifying where they came from. For the most part, the systems units are still usable with current operating systems, hardware, and accessibility. It gives an underprivileged person an otherwise great working computer.
The biggest catch, however is that there is a wealth of non-directory student and faculty information just sitting on these hard disks, with only a cursory “wipe” preventing anyone with decent recovery software from accessing private information!
So, I asked why the hard drives weren’t being destroyed, that clearly this was a security risk! They answered “Oh, it’s just so expensive, and we have to send them out to do that.”
MediaVise Rackmount
When I told them about the Phiston Technologies server rack mounted HDD crusher, they were in awe. The MediaVise Rackmount is a whole breed apart. It combines the effectiveness of a HDD destroyer with the security and convenience of it not only being on-site, but right there in your server rack! This 20 ton crusher mangles your media, from hard drives to solid state to even optical media such as DVDs and CD Roms. At a price tag little more than a few systems unit’s cost, it’s not only effective but no longer cost-prohibitive! Plus, you have the peace of mind of what has become of all that sensitive information; it’s hard to put a price tag on that.
Contact us to learn more about the best way to dispose of your sensitive data, because a simple wipe just won’t cut it. There is no good excuse for bad security!
