Media Wipe Services

CONTENTENGINEER : Media Wipe Services provide a critical element in the disposal and recycling of redundant IT assets. The increased capacity of hard disks and removable storage media, can result in both personal and commercially sensitive data residing on desktops and laptops - in emails, documents, images and internet cache. This data needs to be erased prior to disposal - whether being sold directly to employees, recycling centres, brokers or through online auction facilities.

Simply "formatting" or "deleting" files using inbuilt system tools is insufficient to ensure successful eradication of all data elements - complete files or even partial files with sufficient data for reconstruction are left after these often basic operations. A rigorous and auditted methodology must be used to ensure that all areas of the media are covered.

Service Benefits

The approach, techniques and technology utilised by the Group enable clients to:

• Comply with statute and regulation for the protection of personal data
• Eliminate the risk of sensitive commercial data being brought into the public domain
• Adopt a green approach to traditional "waste" IT equipment, through secure recycling of systems, network components and media
• Avoid the need to train people and build internal processes for this adhoc requirement

Engagements

Clients engage the Group to undertake erasure of data on servers, desktops, laptops, network components, digital cameras and associated removable media including memory cards, USB and flash memory devices. The Group uses a combination of specialist software and hardware, including dedicated equipment that ensures the complete erasure of data from the storage device - whether it be a mechanical hard disk or a flash memory unit.

Custody Log	Certificate	Shredding - The Alternative

The technology utilised can undertake single or multiple passes of every bit, byte, block and sector of the media to meet the sensitivity needs of the Client and/or their respective industry. For confidential and public sector data erasure, three passes are often required. The erasure can also be demonstrated as complete through the use of data recovery tools that can scan the entire media for any fragments of data.

Back to top

Compliance

The Group offers the services to Clients that need to comply with an increasing raft of statute and regulation affecting their organisations. In particular, the UK Data Protection Act places considerable onus on organisations to securely destroy personal data, plus ensure that it is not made available to third parties. The simple act of "gifting" an old PC to an employee or charity, could result in personal data being inadvertently made available in the public domain. In the same way that paper documents are shredded, the safe erasure of electronic data is a critcal component in a security aware organisation.

In adddition to the DPA, there are other industry based regulators including Financial Services Authority that place stringent demands on data processing, storage, archive and destruction. The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) on behalf of software developers is concerned that licensed software is not given away in contravention of a licence agreement.

Recycling

All engagements are agreed with the Client and identified in an Order Form or an engagement letter depending on the volume of media to be erased. The completion of the engagement will enable the Client to demonstrate good corporate governance through the disposal of equipment to worthwhile causes, or to recoup some of the initial investment by reselling the system. This will become increasingly important as new directives such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive evolves

Confidentiality

CONTENTENGINEER is an independent Group and therefore maintains an entirely confidential approach in all Media Wipe engagements whether the Client be end users, resellers, distributors or even manufacturer of IT components. The service ensures that data is completely erased and that the processes used are totally demonstrable. For more information about CONTENTENGINEER : Media Wipe Services do not hesitate to contact us.

Back to top