May 26, 2025

Best Ways to Destroy a Hard Drive

In today’s digital age, information security risks don’t end when you shut your laptop, turn off your smartphone, or unplug your servers. Nor does it vanish when your organization retires obsolete equipment, gets rid of broken-down devices, and upgrades its technology.

Outdated or broken technology remains an information security risk. If you don’t properly destroy the data stored on that equipment, confidential information can still be retrieved and leave both your company and customers vulnerable.

As long as the hardware physically exists, the sensitive data on it can potentially be retrieved with data recovery tools and misused by those with bad intentions. This includes hardware from:

• Desktop computers, laptops, and tablets
• External hard drives and flash drives
• Cellphones, smartphones, and smartwatches
• Printers, copiers, servers, and other common office equipment and technology
• Physical media storage, such as CDs, DVDs, magnetic back-up tapes, zip disks/drives, and floppy disks

All this obsolete technology is a data breach waiting to happen – a liability you cannot afford to ignore.

Consider Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, now called Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, which was forced to pay a $35 million settlement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for failing to protect personal identifying information (PII) of about 15 million customers. Over a five-year period, the financial services company “hired a moving and storage company with no experience or expertise in data destruction services to decommission thousands of hard drives and servers containing the PII of millions of its customers,” the SEC reported. Additionally, it “failed to properly safeguard customer PII and properly dispose of consumer report information when it decommissioned local office and branch servers as part of a broader hardware refresh program.”

Mishandling old hardware can be more than a costly mistake. And in some cases, it’s illegal. Secure data destruction should be a key component of your overall data protection strategy, ensuring compliance with regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This includes implementing appropriate retention and destruction schedules for confidential documents and equipment.

Mistakes to Avoid When Disposing of Old Hard Drives

Destroying a hard drive isn't as simple as tossing it into the trash or smashing it with a hammer. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Using magnets to destroy data: Modern hard drives are resistant to magnetic interference. Even if a magnet manages to corrupt the data, advanced technology might still be able to repair it.
• Erasing or wiping data: This does not guarantee complete data removal.
• Formatting the hard drive: Similar to erasing, formatting doesn't ensure data is gone.
• Storing old hard drives onsite: Many organizations lack a proper policy for hard drive destruction and end up stockpiling them in locked storage areas. However, even in secure storage, the information can still potentially be accessed or stolen.
• Recycling hard drives: Simply recycling hard drives does not guarantee that the information will not be accessed .

What Is the Best Way to Destroy a Hard Drive or Other Electronic Device?

To securely destroy old hard drives and other electronic devices, consider hiring a professional hard drive destruction service. Services, like Shred-it^®, offer state-of-the-art destruction methods, including crushing and shearing*, to ensure data is unrecoverable. They also provide certified data destruction with a secure chain of custody and environmentally responsible recycling.

Shred-it^® also offers media destruction service* to securely manage outdated media storage, such as CDs, floppy disks, and zip disks/drives, to end of life.

Shred-it^® offers certified data destruction with a secure chain of custody from pick-up until destruction, regularly scheduled pickups, on-demand service, and drop-off options. Afterward, Shred-it^® provides an itemized Certificate of Destruction for Hard Drives (or Proof of Service) that includes the device’s manufacturer name and serial number. Once the equipment is unusable, the service recycles materials in accordance with applicable environmental regulations. Aluminum, copper, rare earth, and other metals are repurposed into new products, ensuring secure and eco-friendly disposal while reducing reliance on imported raw materials.

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. If you do not have data security policies and lack the internal expertise, service providers like Shred-it^® can help with customizable, templated policies and training.

Learn more about how Shred-it^® can help you protect your physical data with secure hard drives 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.}