Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace. Just a decade ago mobile phones were fairly large and had antennas. Technology like ipads, iphones and Apple watches were not even a twinkle in the eye of Steve Jobs yet. Today mobile devices have become more than just a fun accessory. They have become a crucial part of our daily life, both for personal and business use. Unfortunately, once a device has passed, it usually is decommissioned and disposed. How should that be done?  What about all that information on the device?  Let’s examine how to securely dispose of your computer technology after your business has retired it.
- Eliminate Access – Ensure that you eliminate any accounts or other access to business systems associated with the decommissioned equipment. A former employee or disgruntled employee could access your system using old technology. You don’t want lingering network access accounts used to remotely connect to the computer system at your work. Shut down access immediately instead of letting the device sit around the office.
- Protect and Destroy Data – Many businesses have sensitive data on their hard drives and on the devices that are carried around to clients. Reformatting or so called “erasing†isn’t good enough these days. Protect any data you still need by transferring it to one of your newer devices and use tools to destroy the data. For desktop computers make sure your personal data isn’t recoverable by reasonable means, do a secure wipe; this not only deletes your data but also overwrites the data a certain number of times, which makes the data much more difficult to retrieve. For mobile devices, the easiest way to securely erase a smartphone or tablet is to encrypt the device first, then do a factory reset. First, though, remember to backup any files you want to keep and remove the microSD and SIM cards.
- Check Twice – After you’ve deleted your personal and business information, it’s good to double-check to make sure it’s gone. Check your: phone book, logs for both dialed and received calls, voicemails, sent and received emails and text messages, downloads and other folders, search histories, and personal photos. If you stored apps on your device, remove them and the data associated with them.
- Discard Using Environmentally Friendly Methods – Once you have a clean desktop, phone or tablet, you have several options: recycling through the manufacture or local recycling program, donate it to a non-profit, or go the old fashioned way through the garbage. Before you decide what method you plan on using check with the Environmental Protection Agency to see if there are rules about how to dispose of each type of device.
Categorised in: Computer Support, recycle electronics