When would I need to Erase my Data Securely?
It is a good idea to do this anytime you upgrade your hard drive, or go to toss away some CDs or DVDs, or even throw away your machine completely.


Why is it important to Destroy My Data?
How much data do you have on your business or personal PC that you want the world to be able to see if given the chance? Would you want people being able to see your online transactions, or sensitive business data? How would that affect you in the long and short term? Simply, if you can answer these above questions, then you should already have your answer. Your need for proper data destruction is just as, if not more important than your reasons for having it backed up, You cant afford to lose it.

What is the proper way to do it?
Did you know that the U.S. Government DOD, NSA, FBI can recover data up to 7 layers deep? 7 Layers deep meaning that even if you deleted and over wrote that data, it can still be recovered.  Many IT professionals believe that simply re-formating a machine is enough to keep prying eyes away, and securely erase your data files. That is simply not true. The same technology that the Government uses to recover data from hard drives, is readily available to average every day users.

With that being said, The technology that the US Government uses to securely erase their data is also available. The problem is that it is not available to many public people, nor can it be used in any easy manner.  The process is very long and time consuming. With a 40 GB hard drive, nearly 100% full, it can take up to 15 hours to do. The time also relies on how fast your hardware is. Verification of the data removal is also key to the success of the process.

Copyright August 06, 2008 by Shaun Pleickhardt

Advanced Computer Group, Inc.

www.AdvancedComputerGroupInc.com

Tel. 631.509.6020