When it comes to electronics recycling, <\/span>data security should always come first<\/b>. Businesses often underestimate the amount of confidential information still lurking on old hard drives and backup tapes\u2014especially if the equipment looks old, broken, or \u201cwiped.\u201d But even when you <\/span>think<\/span><\/i> a device is empty, chances are it still holds recoverable data.<\/span><\/p>\n This quick guide will show you how to identify media that may still contain data and what steps to take <\/span>before sending it out for recycling or disposal<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Start by sorting your items. You’re likely to run into:<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udccc <\/span>Pro Tip<\/b>: If you\u2019re unsure what something is, check the label or model number. A quick Google search can tell you if it\u2019s a storage device.<\/span><\/p>\n Before plugging anything in:<\/span><\/p>\n Even if it looks old, <\/span>never assume it\u2019s empty.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u26a0\ufe0f Warning<\/b>: Only do this in a secure, offline environment\u2014never plug unverified drives into your office network.<\/span><\/p>\n If you have an IT staff or secure workstation:<\/span><\/p>\n Once connected:<\/span><\/p>\n Ask yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re unsure, <\/span>assume it contains sensitive data.<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If:<\/span><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 <\/span>Send it to a certified destruction service like Ship-n-Destroy<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll handle the secure destruction at our Vermont facility and provide a <\/span>Certificate of Destruction<\/b> so you have a paper trail for compliance and peace of mind.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The average hard drive can store millions of documents\u2014even if you deleted them. Backup tapes are even trickier, since they can store full system images from years past.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \ud83d\udca1 <\/span>Bottom line<\/b>: If you can\u2019t 100% guarantee that a device is wiped, <\/span>don\u2019t recycle it\u2014destroy it<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secure your data with confidence. Our <\/span>Premium Service<\/b> includes:<\/span><\/p>\n Start your service now: <\/span>https:\/\/shipndestroy.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How to Tell If a Backup Tape or Hard Drive Still Holds Data (Before You Toss It) When it comes to electronics recycling, data security should always come first. Businesses often underestimate the amount of confidential information still lurking on old hard drives and backup tapes\u2014especially if the equipment looks old, broken, or \u201cwiped.\u201d But … More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":342,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shipndestroy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Step 1: Identify the Type of Media You’re Dealing With<\/b><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/b>Step 2: Check for Signs of Use or Labeling<\/b><\/h3>\n\n
Step 3: Plug It In (If Safe and Possible)<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Step 4: Determine the Risk Level<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Step 5: When in Doubt, Destroy It<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Final Thoughts: Err on the Side of Caution<\/b><\/h3>\n
Need Help? Let\u2019s Ship-n-Destroy It.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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