Disintegrate, Shred, or Recycle? Which Data Destruction Method Should I Use?

With the sheer amount of data around these days, choosing the correct data destruction method is important. There are many options available when it comes to destroying data, which makes choosing the best method difficult. Is it disintegrating, shredding, or recycling? In this article, we will look at which is the best way to get rid of the data that you need to destroy. 

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Why Data Destruction is so Important

When you’ve finished using your customers’ data, you should destroy it. It’s important to do this because it is critical for preserving the privacy and security of the data, for both your company and your customers. 

Identity theft is also a huge deal, so making sure you destroy social security numbers, credit card information, and other personal data you have on your customers is essential.

If you have machinery or documents that your company no longer uses, and if you have not destroyed the data on that machinery or in those documents, then the data is right there for an unauthorized person to get hold of - and that’s definitely not what you want.

What are the Most Common Data Destruction Methods?

There are several methods you can use to destroy the data you have on file. The most common types of data destruction include:

• Deleting
• Reformatting
• Wiping
• Overwriting Data
• Erasing
• Degaussing
• Physical Destruction
• Shredding

Each type of data destruction has its pros and cons. For example, reformatting and overwriting doesn’t actually destroy the previous data. Instead, it just writes over it, so it may be easier for hackers to get the previous data through this method. However, physical destruction and shredding can also cause problems if they are left unchecked. This is why it’s important to choose the best method to destroy your data.

What is the Best Method for Data Destruction?

The most widely-used method for data destruction is shredding. Shredding offers the chance to destroy not only the digital data, but to also physically destroy it too. This will make you more certain that the data is destroyed effectively. And shredders can be used on much more than just paper. In fact, Whitaker Brothers offers shredders for hard drives, CDs & DVDs, cardboard, flash media cards and drives, and more. So the options you have for shredding are numerous.

Benefits of Paper Shredders

One of the big benefits of shredders is that they can be used to destroy a lot of different types of data storage options. Yes, they can shred paper, but they can also shred digital storage methods too. There are different security levels of shredders; in fact, there are seven. The smaller the particles produced by the shredder are, the higher the security level. Which level you need is entirely dependent on the sector you work in, and the type of data being handled.

Shredders are also compliant with every country’s privacy laws. A cross-cut or micro-cut shredder is a tool you can use to destroy and dispose of confidential documents safely.

Another benefit of using a shredder over another data destruction method is the cost element. You can buy shredders for a range of different budgets, and each price level has benefits. Smaller, cheaper shredders can be useful if you don’t have a lot of space, and massive industrial shredders are useful if you have a lot of data to destroy.

Why You Should Use Whitaker Brothers for Your Data Destruction

As one of the worldwide leaders in the data destruction industry, we here at Whitaker Brothers know how important data destruction equipment is for organizations. From shredders and disintegrators, to crushers and degaussers, you can destroy data securely with our brands such as Datastroyer, Formax, HSM, Intimus, MBM, Fellowes and more. Prices start from under $100.