Managing the Data Security of your Technology Assets

While managing your company’s IT equipment, you are met with a number of stressors each day. How to maintain high security standards in a world of phishing threats and chaotic inventory management. How to encourage your staff to be involved in a culture of security and to continue the careful transport of electronic data and assets. And, when the time comes, how to weigh the benefits of various methods of data destruction through sanitization, reuse, or resale.

At each stage of its life, your IT assets are at risk for a number of security threats. If you’re looking to protect your data while successfully managing your assets, here’s the way to do it:

Know what you own

Keep track of your physical and digital assets with proper inventory management practices. Data breaches can often be as simple as an employee misplacing a laptop or a USB drive, or reselling equipment online that wasn’t properly wiped – but the damage is still the same. By tracking and inventorying all of the electronic assets under your supervision, you can drastically reduce the chances of a data breach.

Make smart destruction decisions

While the return on investment can vary based on the equipment and the method you choose, proper data destruction is a must to effectively eliminate the risk of a breach. The smartest step is to partner with a certified IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) company that knows and follows proper procedures and has earned security certifications to guarantee your protection.

Ask for the right things in an ITAD partner

The right ITAD partner for you will ensure the following:

• Compliance to all legislative requirements


• Elimination of data security risks by following published security standards (NIST SP 800-88)


• Provision of audit-ready, accessible reporting


• Go beyond standards with NAID AAA certification and audited data security requirements


• High environmental and security standards that customers can trust

No solution or action can make your company 100% free from the risk of a data breach, but closely tracking your equipment, making informed decisions for your equipment’s end of life, and partnering with the right ITAD vendor goes a long way toward significantly reducing that risk.

At MPC, we specialize in mitigating risk surrounding off-network electronic equipment. We provide consultative risk assessments and inventory audits to identify potential threats and implement strategic IT asset management programs including asset recovery, remarketing, disposition and data destruction.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/cloud-computing/managing-data-security-technology-assets-0596442?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=managing-data-security-technology-assets