WHY SHOULD YOU WIPE THE HARD DRIVE ON YOUR COMPUTER?
Most people today own a computer device or smart device of some caliber. At some point in their lifetime, their device(s) will become outdated, damaged or they may no longer need or want them. The most crucial step to take when getting rid of your unwanted computer device(s) (whether it be a laptop or desktop) is to erase any existing data on your hard drive. If you do not take the precaution of performing data destruction on your hard drives, your private data may get into the hands of the unknown or worse yet, into the hands of a criminal which would leave you extremely vulnerable.
Here are some significant reasons why you should consider hiring professionals, such as KVS Computers of Hughesville, PA, to perform hard drive wiping services prior to selling, donating, or recycling your devices.
Deleting Data Is Not Secure
Oftentimes there is sensitive, personal information on your hard drive that you would not want to get into the wrong hands. Just deleting the files is not enough to protect your information from being discovered. Many operating systems do not necessarily erase data at the commands of the user. The files may appear to be deleted but the operating system marks the files as “deleted” but any future user with IT knowledge and the proper forensic software can access your deleted data files with a little keyboard crunching. Being you do not want your sensitive data at risk to be compromised, you should consider professional hard drive wipingservices as offered by KVS Computers in Hughesville, PA.
Data Protection Law Compliance
Comprehensive data privacy or data protection laws exist to provide framework on how to protect, use and store sensitive, personal data. This framework provides principles for protecting consumer/citizen data. The laws are in place to determine who has access to the data, how the data is collected as well as the manner in which it is stored. These laws exist to protect individuals and punish those who do not comply. To avoid the risk of being penalized for not handling data properly, you should opt for professional hard drive wiping services from KVS Computers in Hughesville, PA.
Preventing Data Breaches – Hard Drive Wiping Services, Hughesville PA
Data breaches are a type of crime that can originate from abandoned hard drives. If you are not vigilant with your data, a thief could gain access to valuable personal information such as your social security number or passwords to bank accounts which could lead to your identity being stolen. Always maintain strict security measures regarding your data as any negligence of a hard drive full of confidential information could lead to a catastrophic data breach.
Customer Database Security
Data breaches can cause a cataclysmic effect on businesses and corporations. Businesses and corporations retain so much confidential information on computer systems, a data breach could cause damaging effects as hard drives often contain sensitive information about customers or patients. Losing confidential customer information from customer databases could result in losing loyal customers and lost revenue. Maintaining strict security measures of your data is of utmost importance so no one other than qualified individuals have access to it.
Protect Confidential Information
Another example of sensitive data that you would not want to get in the hands of the wrong person is intellectual property. Intellectual property is confidential, sensitive information much like your personal information and you would not that data exposed to a third party. If a third-party gains access to your intellectual property, they could steal it and use it to their benefit. This type of data should have strict security measures with only qualified, preapproved individuals having access. Unfortunately, there have been cases in which employees have gained access to intellectual property and sold that information to competitors in return for large sums of cash.
Preventing Wrongful Data Transfer
Restore Factory Default Settings
The average end user may have numerous reasons for wanting to change computer systems. They may have had their computer for many years and their operating system is no longer supported or maybe they enjoy upgrading to have the newest device on the market. Whatever your reason, when placing your data in the hands of another party, be sure to do your due diligence. Choose only trusted, professional businesses to perform repair work on your device. Restoring your device to factory default settings is not a secure option in protecting your data. Data security professionals, like KVS Computers in Hughesville, PA, will perform DOD level formatting when performing hard drive wipingservices.
Above are just a few reasons as to why you should not take data destruction into your own hands and why you should consider allowing professionals, like KVS Computers in Hughesville, PA, to perform hard drive wiping of drives that contain sensitive, confidential data.