Data destruction done right!

The topic of data protection is current and hotly debated, but is still not implemented securely and confidently in private or professional everyday life. Be it the protection of private data on the net or the protection of company data according to the new basic data protection regulation (DSGVO).

The latter becomes particularly important when the hardware of a company is renewed, which places value on the sustainable use of hardware and wants to put it back into the economic cycle as far as possible. But even with private data, a reset to factory settings is not enough.

On the European Data Protection Day, Patrick Schatz, our employee from data deletion, explains in a short interview what exactly the term data destruction encompasses, why the work is not done with "reset to factory settings" and what exactly includes data deletion with certified deletion software:

Patrick, can you briefly explain what is meant by the term "data destruction"?

As the name suggests, the term data destruction is to be understood as the complete destruction of the data so it cannot be restored. For example, if you move your files to the software recycle bin, they are still on the hard drive and can be restored. We therefore delete data using certified deletion software.

 

What does data deletion with certified deletion software mean?

With a certified data erasure like we do it, the physical sectors of the hard disk are overwritten and the data is completely removed from the hard disk. Depending on the size of the hard drive, this process can take a few hours. We use the TÜV-certified Blancco software.

 

Isn't it enough to reset my devices to their factory settings?

No, absolutely not. Many people misunderstand this, because resetting to the factory settings only resets the user options of the device. This process has nothing to do with the data itself.

 

Is it worth it for companies? Why isn't used hardware simply scrapped?

Many devices are still fully functional after refurbishment. By reusing the hardware, important raw materials can be saved. Devices that no longer work are recycled, whereby valuable metals are extracted. By handing over replaced hardware to AfB, companies also receive proof that the data has really been destroyed and cannot be recovered.

 

What can I do as a private person if I do not have access to such software?

It is possible to return your devices to us. We can therefore guarantee secure data destruction to private individuals as well. All electronic markets and larger online retailers are obliged to accept old devices.