10 Places Confidential Data May Be Hiding in Your Office

When you think about confidential business data, your computer is probably the first thing that comes to mind.

But what about that old copier sitting in the storage room? The box of backup tapes nobody has touched in five years? Or those outdated cell phones tucked away in a desk drawer?

Businesses create and store an enormous amount of information, and much of it can remain on electronic devices long after those devices are no longer being used.

Before you clean out that supply closet or send old electronics off for recycling, take a closer look. Confidential information may be hiding in more places than you realize.

1. Old Computers and Laptops

Let’s start with the obvious.

Old desktops and laptops can contain customer information, employee records, financial documents, emails, passwords, contracts and years of other business data.

Deleting files or performing a basic factory reset doesn’t necessarily mean that information is permanently gone.

Before recycling or disposing of old computers, make sure the data-storage devices inside them are handled securely.

2. External Hard Drives

External drives are incredibly convenient for backups and transferring large amounts of information.

That’s also exactly why they deserve special attention when it’s time to get rid of them.

A single external hard drive could contain thousands of documents—or even a complete backup of a computer or server.

If you find an old one during an office cleanout, don’t assume it’s empty just because nobody remembers what’s on it.

3. Backup Tapes

Remember when backup tapes were everywhere?

Plenty of businesses still have them—and some have boxes of older tapes stored away because nobody quite knows what to do with them.

Those tapes may contain historical copies of company data, customer records, financial information and other confidential material.

If the information is no longer needed, secure destruction can eliminate both the clutter and the potential security liability.

4. USB Flash Drives

They’re tiny, inexpensive and incredibly easy to forget.

USB drives end up in desk drawers, filing cabinets, conference rooms and storage boxes. Because they’re portable, employees may have used them to transfer presentations, spreadsheets, customer files or other business information.

That little thumb drive gathering dust could contain more sensitive information than you think.

5. Old Smartphones

Businesses replace phones regularly, but what happens to the old ones?

Company smartphones can contain emails, contacts, text messages, photographs, documents, saved login information and access to business accounts.

Before tossing an old phone into an electronics recycling box, make sure you’ve considered the data that may still be stored on it.

6. Tablets

Just like smartphones, tablets can become miniature offices.

Employees may use them to access email, customer accounts, cloud storage, sales information and internal business systems.

When they’re retired, they should be treated as data-bearing devices—not simply outdated electronics.

7. Servers

An old server sitting unused in a back room can be a treasure trove of business information.

Servers may contain years of customer records, employee information, financial data, emails and proprietary company information.

Because servers can contain multiple drives, it’s especially important to identify and securely handle every storage device before recycling the equipment.

8. Printers and Copiers

This one surprises people.

Many modern multifunction printers and copiers contain internal storage that may retain information from documents that were printed, copied, scanned or faxed.

That could include contracts, payroll information, customer records, medical information or financial documents.

Before disposing of a copier or multifunction printer, determine whether it contains internal storage and how that data will be handled.

9. Memory Cards

SD cards and other memory cards aren’t just for cameras.

Businesses use them in phones, tablets, security systems, recording equipment and other devices.

Because they’re so small, they’re easy to overlook during an electronics cleanout.

Before throwing one away—or passing the device along to someone else—consider what information may remain on that card.

10. The Forgotten Electronics Closet

And finally, there’s the closet.

You know the one.

Old computers. Mystery cables. A printer nobody remembers buying. Three cell phones. A stack of hard drives. Boxes marked “BACKUP—DO NOT THROW AWAY” from 2017.

For many businesses, outdated electronics accumulate because nobody knows whether they’re safe to throw away, recycle or donate.

Unfortunately, leaving data-bearing equipment sitting around indefinitely isn’t much of a security strategy either.

A periodic electronics cleanout can help your business identify obsolete equipment, determine which devices may contain confidential information and securely dispose of what you no longer need.

Don’t Just Recycle the Device—Think About the Data

Responsible electronics recycling is important. But when a device has contained confidential business information, what happens to the data should be part of the conversation too.

That’s where Ship-n-Destroy makes the process simple.

With our Premium Service, we’ll send you everything you need to securely ship your old data-bearing devices to our Vermont facility, including a lockable tote, two numbered locks, a return label, and packing and shipping instructions.

You pack it. Lock it. Ship it.

We securely destroy it.

No more wondering what to do with that box of old hard drives or backup tapes sitting in the office.

Visit our website and see how easy it is to shipndestroy your old devices.