Hard Drive and Data Destruction: Your Questions Answered

Ones and zeros are the digital code for everything that happens in the technology world. Your tax returns, your work files, your photos — all of them are stored as data on a hard drive, and if it falls into the wrong hands then you could be at serious risk. If you have a hard drive you need to dispose of, you may be wondering about the steps you can take to ensure that all of the data on the drive is destroyed or erased. Read on to find out more about IT data and hard drive destruction services.

Should you destroy your hard drive?

It is always best to dispose of old data rather than let it linger in existence for any longer than necessary. The probability that your old hard drive will find its way into the hands of a criminal is extremely low, but if it does then you could be in serious trouble.

What are the different destruction methods available?

There are two main ways of destroying data on a hard drive: overwriting and physical destruction.

Overwriting

Data on a hard drive can be overwritten with new data in a single step to make it completely irretrievable. This process involves filling the hard drive with meaningless data so that it becomes impossible for anyone to access the old data on the disk. This method is most effective, and it has been tested extensively to ensure its effectiveness.

Physical destruction

Physical destruction involves shredding the hard drive. Shredding is the process of physically destroying a hard disk by feeding it into a machine that grinds and shreds it into extremely small pieces. Once this process is complete, it will be impossible for anyone to access the data which was stored on the drive.

Who should you contact with questions about data destruction?

There are two main groups of people that should be in contact before you destroy your hard drive: disposal companies and security firms. The disposal companies are responsible for physically destroying the hard drive and disposing of it safely to ensure that no one else can access it. Some companies may only have a limited number of physical destructions in their facilities, but if you go to them they will most likely be able to destroy your hard drive for a fee. The security firms are responsible for wiping the data from your hard drive in such a way that it cannot be recovered by anyone. Contact a hard drive destruction service for more information.