Data Security

At OceanTech, we believe that IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) should always be viewed through the lens of data security first.  ITAD should be a critical component of your data breach prevention strategy.  If you don’t know how, or if you’re not disposing of your IT assets properly, your customer and employee data could be compromised. If there is a breach or even the potential threat of a breach, not only is that data compromised, so is your company’s brand reputation….and that’s something that’s not easily repaired.  Managing and mitigating risk is one of the most important reasons to partner with an ITAD company.  

If you choose to erase data in-house, and prior to disposing of the equipment it resides on, it’s important to note that research has shown that approximately 40% of drives that companies think they’ve erased still have data on them. In all reality, most companies don’t have a core competency in data erasure. That’s why a professional, certified ITAD service provider is a key partner.  

OceanTech’s data sanitization guarantees that sensitive data is non-recoverable.  We destroy data in compliance with the following laws and regulations:

• PCI (Payment Card Industry Security Standards)
• Sarbanes-Oxley Ace
• GLB (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act)
• BSA (Bank Secrecy Act)
• Patriot Act
• Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act
• FDA Security Regulations (21 C.F.R., part 11)
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

During the entire process, we track and catalog your assets.  Once the data destruction has been successfully completed, OceanTech will issue a Certificate of Data Destruction that details the make, model, and serial number of each asset that has been secured, sanitized or destroyed.

Regulations and Compliance

There are many rules and regulations around data protection and IT asset disposal on a state, federal, and international level. Beyond ensuring your data is protected, your ITAD company can help you create an audit trail or a detailed report of each item that came out of service. If you don’t have an audit trail, it’s hard to say with the utmost certainty and prove that you handled the disposal of these assets properly. Especially when it comes to handling customer data, you want to avoid a breach or the potential for one.

Physical Space

If you have an ITAD company manage your ITAD program, you can actually free up space by not having old equipment and hardware sitting around.  Why is that important? Well, not only does it free up space, it ensures that any unsecured equipment lying around that hasn’t been properly wiped, doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, only to have someone gain access to the data on that device. Or you could just simply lose track of the asset. It might be stuck in an empty office somewhere, but if you don’t know exactly where that computer is, you can’t guarantee that the information and data on it haven’t been compromised.

Money

If you don’t handle your IT Asset Disposition in a responsible manner, you could face fines or even lawsuits.  Not only is there a monetary risk at stake, more importantly, your overall business could take a hit due to the loss of trust from customers.

Brand Reputation and Lawsuits

You might think that you’re saving money by trying to manage ITAD yourself or by having a less than reputable company handle it, but you’ll pay much more in the long run if something goes wrong.  Money can’t buy trust so don’t put your brand and reputation on the line.