BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
A new report from Iron
Mountain® Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the storage and
information management company, and TechTarget, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTGT), the
technology media company, suggests organizations have room to improve
when it comes to getting rid of old computers, cell phones, hard drives,
servers and other data storage devices.
Titled Enterprises have Room for Improvement in Secure IT Asset
Disposition, the newly released report indicates that while IT and
business professionals have made advances in their efforts to securely
dispose of data center, storage and office equipment, additional work is
required to protect the information stored on these devices, comply with
data privacy laws, and recoup some of the device’s original value
through recycling. Some of the report’s key insights include:
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Organizations dispose of IT storage devices to avoid risk: More
often than not, an organization’s goals in enacting a Secure IT Asset
Disposition (SITAD) policy focus on mitigating risks like losing
proprietary data (89 percent of respondents) or avoiding legal and
compliance headaches associated with protecting privacy (74 percent).
However, other positive benefits of a SITAD program like reducing
space issues or recouping financial investments are largely
overlooked, with the exception of sustainability, which 63 percent of
respondents cite as a program goal.
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Enterprises struggle with SITAD program implementation and
compliance: Almost half of respondents – 46 percent – acknowledged
that they either don’t have a formal SITAD plan or that their formal
plan isn’t widely adopted across their organization. Findings indicate
that the lack of widespread compliance among employees stems from
insufficient education about SITAD policies or inadequate oversight in
how employees implement those policies.
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IT and business executives agree that SITAD is a significant concern:
Three quarters of both business leaders and their IT counterparts
state they are either concerned or very concerned about potential
shortcomings in their SITAD programs. That concern doesn’t seem to
translate into program improvements, however, due to the
misperceptions that comprehensive programs cost more and that flaws in
their current systems aren’t posing urgent risks for the organization.
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Third-party specialists are primarily utilized for hardware disposal:
Sixty-four percent of respondents currently leverage outside SITAD
experts to some degree – notably to dispose of hardware, including
data center equipment like servers and computers and mobile phones.
However, organizations can further leverage third-party specialists
for guidance on strategy and success metrics. While cost is cited as
the biggest obstacle in pursuing help from outside resources (45
percent of respondent), third-party experts can often save
organizations money by assessing the value of decommissioned equipment
and then recycling it to recoup a portion of the original investment.
“The secure disposition of IT assets will continue to be a top priority
for organizations as we face increasingly complex technological, legal
and compliance environments,” said Jay Livens, director of product and
solutions marketing, data management, Iron Mountain. “When looking to
properly dispose of computers, cell phones, servers and other storage
devices, organizations should do so in a compliant, environmentally
correct manner to ensure they’re meeting all internal and external data
privacy requirements and recouping the maximum economic value from their
used equipment.”
In light of the survey’s findings, Iron Mountain offers the following
SITAD tips and best practices:
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Ensure all computer media and associated data is permanently destroyed
and non-recoverable before disposing of the storage device.
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Establish a defensible, documented, and repeatable process to prepare,
handle or transport, and destroy the data that resides on electronic
media.
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Improve audit readiness using workflows that include security
personnel assigned to monitor the destruction process.
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Ensure media scheduled for offsite destruction is securely transported
with dedicated routes, 24x7 GPS tracking, thoroughly vetted drivers
and a well-documented chain-of-custody.
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Avoid inadvertent disclosures by destroying sensitive or unencrypted
data in the right manner at the right time.
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Establish methodologies that ensure reliability and consistency from
collection through final destruction of end-of-life IT assets.
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Pursuing third-party vendors that are e-Stewards Certified Recyclers,
meaning they adhere to the highest standard of environmental
responsibility and worker safety, while protecting human health and
the global environment.
TechTarget’s study was based on 125 responses from registered visitors
to SearchDataCenter.com. The full report with complete survey data is
available at www.ironmountain.com/itassets
About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a leading provider of storage
and information management services. The company’s real estate network
of over 67 million square feet across more than 1,000 facilities in 36
countries allows it to serve customers with speed and accuracy. And its
solutions for records
management, data
management, document
management, and secure
shredding help organizations to lower storage costs, comply with
regulations, recover from disaster, and better use their information for
business advantage. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain stores and protects
billions of information assets, including business documents, backup
tapes, electronic files and medical data. Visit www.ironmountain.com
for more information.
Source: Iron Mountain Incorporated