What are ITAD Security Risks and Their Mitigation?

There are a number of data security risks associated with the poor management of e-waste. The average cost of a data breach across the globe is estimated to be $3.86 million. Around 80% of the breaches include a compromise of personally identifiable information (PII). The past couple of years has seen a 76% increase in incidents related to data breaches. This requires businesses and organizations across all verticals and industries to have data security policies and risk management strategies in place. Compliant and secure ITAD services are an integral part of all such plans, strategies, and policies.  

ITAD data security compliance requires IT disposal services to take data security extremely seriously and integrate a number of risk mitigation steps into their processes. Secure IT asset disposal requires a strict chain of custody, constant monitoring and tracking of IT assets, environmentally responsible disposal of IT equipment, and secure data destruction.  

ITAD Security Risks 

Organizations need to constantly upgrade and update their IT devices and equipment to maintain their competitive edge by keeping up with their performance and storage needs. This means that they frequently have obsolete or outdated technology on their hands. Most organizations tend to get rid of their unwanted IT equipment by handing it over to recycling services that are free. These services either dump these devices into landfills or ship them to less regulated and developing countries.  

The equipment and assets hold confidential and sensitive data of companies and their consumers (even if they have been formatted or damaged). Cybercriminals can easily retrieve information and data from the hardware and use it as ransomware. This has the potential of costing a company huge amounts of money and facing legal implications and penalties as well.  

Companies and businesses operating at a global scale often face huge challenges when it comes to the management of disposal of IT equipment. With remote employees and smaller offices spread across the world map, inventory management and overtime changes to data-bearing devices can also be a huge challenge.  

ITAD Security Risk Mitigation

Organizations need to consider several factors for ITAD security risk mitigation. A corporate data security policy requires to include a robust data destruction plan for end-of-life IT equipment. Managing privacy, access, and data usage, along with ensuring secure ITAD, are some crucial components that need to be present in the security policy. To ensure protection from data threats, vulnerabilities within processes need to be highlighted.  

Any significant upgrades, whether in a corporate enterprise or data center, need to be carried out carefully while ensuring secure IT asset disposition of the replaced equipment. Partnering with certified, compliant, reliable, experienced, and secure IT asset disposition services, like CompuCycle, is a vital step towards ensuring data protection.  

The essentials for complete risk mitigation of ITAD security concerns include performing due diligence while choosing one from the several disposition services out there. The company you opt for should feature ITAD data security compliance and have a secure chain of command with 24/7 tracking and monitoring of your redundant IT assets. Onsite data destruction services offer an extra sense of safety and protection to organizations.  

Certification and experience also matter a lot, along with official documentation certifying complete compliance and transfer of liability. In the case of recycling and value recovery, the testing and refurbishment stages should also be fully secure and compliant with local as well as international laws, regulations, and standards.  

Organizations need to document procurement, access, and retirement details of each IT hardware as well. Employees need to be made aware of the potential consequences of data security breaches and given responsibility for them as well. Outsourcing asset inventory and audit management to a reliable and secure ITAD company is also a good way to protect the business from data security risks.  

In today’s corporate world, the number of devices storing data and the amount of data they are storing are both extremely high. Maintaining a record of which employees have access to what assets can help keep track of devices and, consequently, the data that is stored on them. When all devices are accounted for, compliance and auditing become much easier to manage.  

Businesses also need to stay informed about the changes in regulations and compliance requirements, both local and international. To ensure ITAD data security compliance and ITAD security risk mitigation, get in touch with CompuCycle today. The company not only offers secure ITAD services but secure electronics recycling and value recovery as well. With a secure chain of command and customized service offerings, CompuCycle is one of the best secure IT asset disposition services in the US.  

Regardless of the size of your business or the sector or industry it operates in, ITAD security risks can have a huge monetary impact if you do not ensure timely risk mitigation.