How to Dispose of Old Hard Drives? First, Avoid These 7 Mistakes When Disposing of Your Old Hard Drives

Most companies require computers to conduct business and provide their employees with one or more devices to perform their work. As devices age and are replaced, it’s crucial to consider how to securely dispose of old hard drives—especially since confidential data often remains stored on them. Knowing the proper way to handle device disposal can help protect your company from costly data breaches.

To help you avoid potential data breaches, we've compiled a list of seven mistakes to avoid when disposing of old hard drives. We'll also provide the best way to destroy hard drives to help ensure your information remains secure.

Seven Mistakes You Should Avoid When Disposing of Old Hard Drives

Using magnets to destroy data: While magnets may have been effective in the past, modern hard drives are much more resistant to magnetic interference. Even if a magnet manages to corrupt the data, advanced technology may still be able to repair it. Don’t count on this method to protect your business.
Erasing or wiping data: Although a good practice, relying solely on the erasure or wiping of data is not enough to ensure it's gone for good.
Formatting the hard drive: Similar to erasing data, formatting a hard drive doesn't guarantee the information is gone and should not be the only method used to securely dispose of old hard drives.
Ignoring the risk: Confidential data on old hard drives remain a security risk as long as it exists. Companies of all sizes are targets for information thieves, and some businesses may have legal data protection obligations to consider, such as under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and Quebec’s Law 25. Professional services, like Shred-it^®, include documentation and a Proof of Service, providing confidence that your data was disposed of in accordance with NAID Security requirements.
Storing old hard drives onsite: Keeping outdated drives, even in secure storage, risks unauthorized access. Without an established destruction policy, drives may accumulate and increase your exposure.
Do-it-yourself physical destruction: Damaging drives with tools at home or in the office isn’t reliable and can be hazardous to one’s physical safety. Secure destruction should always be handled by professionals.
Recycling hard drives: Simply recycling hard drives does not guarantee that the information will be protected from thieves. Data security management must be an integral part of any recycling process. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), organizations should follow specific guidelines for the secure disposal of storage media to minimize the risk of data breaches.

How to Properly Dispose of Old Hard Drives

One of the most effective methods for disposing of old hard drives is to have them physically destroyed using a professional hard drive and media destruction service. A service like Shred-it^®* offers hard drive destruction in two forms, crushing or shearing. Both destruction methods leave the data unrecoverable.

Crushing involves punching an unfixable hole in the device with 7,500 lbs. of pressure, which damages the internal platters that store data.
Shearing breaks the hard drive into small pieces using 40,000 lbs. of force. The material is then transported to a recycling facility, where the remaining components are separated and processed for recycling.

In addition to professional destruction services, consider implementing a comprehensive data security policy within your organization. This policy should outline the steps for securely storing, handling, and disposing of sensitive information, including hard drives and other electronic media. Regular employee training on data security best practices and the importance of proper disposal methods can help minimize the risk of physical data breaches.

Securely disposing of old hard drives is essential to help protect your organization from data breaches. Avoid the mistakes above and instead opt for professional hard drive destruction services like Shred-it^®. By taking these precautions, you can help safeguard your confidential information and your organization's reputation.

Learn more about how Shred-it^® can help you protect your physical data with secure hard drive and document destruction services.

^{*Contact Shred-it® for service availability.}

^{This article is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances.}