Harish Dixit
Senior Infrastructure Manager – APAC
Most businesses are unaware about the fact that deletion and format doesn’t completely wipe off the data. If you're selling or even disposing your storage device thinking that you have formatted or deleted data and it has been gone forever, then you’re mistaken and are inviting a big threat to your data.
The Hindu trinity consists of three gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. While Shiva's role might seem scary, it's actually about positive change. Destruction leads to new creation, which is necessary for growth.
Just like Shiva's role, destroying old data is very important for businesses today. It's a key part of keeping information safe and private. Simply deleting files isn't enough – the data needs to be completely erased so it can't be recovered.
There are several reasons why properly destroying data matters:
1. It protects secret information. Companies have lots of sensitive data about employees, customers, and business plans. If this isn't destroyed properly, it could be stolen and misused.
2. It helps follow laws. Many industries have strict rules about protecting data. Proper destruction helps avoid fines and legal problems. For example: HIPAA for healthcare organizations and PCI DSS for financial institutions.
3. It reduces risk. By destroying old data, companies have less sensitive information to worry about if there's a security breach.
4. It maintains a good reputation. Taking data security seriously helps businesses look trustworthy.
There are different ways to destroy data securely:
• Overwriting: replacing old data with new, meaningless data
• Degaussing: erasing magnetic storage devices
• Physical destruction: actually, breaking storage devices
Instead of physically destroying devices, which can harm the environment, businesses can use special software to erase data completely. This allows devices to be reused or recycled safely.
Data erasure software, like Bitraser, can wipe information from various devices beyond the possibility of recovery, but come at a cost. There are also some free options available like ShredOS, a specialized Linux-based tool designed for securely erasing data from computer storage devices.
To learn more about securely wiping data using ShredOS, please follow this tutorial:
In conclusion, data destruction is not merely a routine maintenance task but a critical process that underpins the success and sustainability of modern businesses. It adheres to compliance, and security, laying the foundation for robust business operations and strategic growth.
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