Implementing safe data disposal practices is essential for safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring compliance, and maintaining trust. Safe data disposal involves securely removing data from devices and storage media to prevent unauthorised access. This process is essential for both personal and organisational data, especially when it contains sensitive or confidential information.

Follow these steps to dispose of data safely.

Back up important data: before disposing of any data, ensure that important information is backed up securely. This helps prevent data loss and allows for recovery if needed.

Use data erasure software: use reliable data erasure software to overwrite data multiple times, making it unrecoverable. This is especially important for digital storage devices.

Physically destroy hard drives: for highly sensitive data, physically destroying hard drives and other storage media is one of the most secure methods. This can be done through shredding, crushing, or incineration.

Wipe devices before disposal: all devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets, should be wiped clean of data before disposal. This includes deleting files and performing a factory reset.

Properly dispose of physical media: shred paper documents and other physical media containing sensitive information. Use a cross-cut shredder for added security.

👉 Look out for more cybersecurity tips over the month of October!