IT professionals often are asked to investigate the possibility of selling hard drives, but there are always concerns about how to securely sanitize and destroy the data from SAS, SATA, Fiber Channel, and SAN drives that contain sensitive company information.How do you decide whether you should sell the drives or destroy them? If you want to sell them, where do you start? What can you expect from the process?Here are some suggestions from experts in the field:
- If you can get cash on the table and ensure secure data destruction, it’s smart business to sell your hard drives. While software that is available online may remove the file names and make it appear as though data has been destroyed, experts say it is still recoverable and has not been wiped out.
- Take inventory of the drives you have available to sell. Note the brand name, model, and serial numbers of all equipment.
- Contact a certified data destruction company. Look for an electronics recycling company that is NAID certified and that can provide certified data destruction.
- The company will request your inventory and will provide you with an estimate that includes the cost of secure data destruction services. They also will present an offer to purchase your drives. Typically, the result is cashback to your company.
- When you determine you do want to retire IT equipment, you will be asked to wrap and pallet your inventory for pick-up.
- Serial numbers are used to track data destruction, which is performed by the best companies in a secure environment. Many companies will offer videotapes or even data destruction at your place of business.
- If your company is very large, expand the asset retirement strategy. There is significant value in retired SAS, SATA, Fiber Channel, and SAN drives, and the cashback to your company from selling hard drives can be significant.
- Always check credentials for any electronics recycling company before you release your equipment to them. Ask for references and check them. Your data is the lifeblood of your business. Paying special attention to security concerns is critical.
