How can you dispose of IT assets while protecting intellectual property?

When you outsource your IT functions, you may need to dispose of your old or obsolete IT assets, such as computers, servers, hard drives, or mobile devices. However, you also need to ensure that your sensitive data and intellectual property (IP) are not compromised or exposed in the process. How can you do that? Here are some tips to help you dispose of IT assets while protecting your IP.

1 Choose a reliable IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendor

One of the best ways to dispose of IT assets securely is to work with a professional ITAD vendor who can handle the entire lifecycle of your equipment, from collection and transportation to data destruction and recycling. A reputable ITAD vendor should have certifications, such as ISO 27001, ISO 14001, and R2, that demonstrate their compliance with industry standards and best practices. They should also provide you with a detailed audit report and a certificate of data destruction that verify the completion and quality of their services.

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Michael Kennedy

Jack of All Trades
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Also be aware that there are regulatory requirements to properly destroy data. Fines can be severe if the proper auditable procedures are not followed.

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2 Encrypt your data before disposal

Even if you trust your ITAD vendor, you should still take some precautions to protect your data before handing over your IT assets. One of the most effective methods is to encrypt your data using strong encryption algorithms and keys. Encryption makes your data unreadable and inaccessible to anyone who does not have the decryption key. This way, even if your IT assets are lost, stolen, or tampered with during the disposal process, your data and IP will remain safe.

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James McLaren

Senior Analyst at CERT JE
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This is about to get significantly harder as we enter the era of quantum computing. The age of “no one will break this in a million years “, if it ever existed, is over.

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3 Wipe your data using secure methods

Another way to protect your data and IP during IT asset disposal is to wipe your data using secure methods that overwrite your data multiple times with random patterns. This makes it impossible to recover your data using conventional software or hardware tools. You can use various data wiping tools, such as DBAN, Eraser, or Secure Erase, depending on the type and format of your IT assets. However, you should be aware that some data wiping methods may not work on solid-state drives (SSDs) or flash memory devices, which require special techniques to erase data.

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4 Destroy your data physically

If you want to be extra sure that your data and IP are completely destroyed, you can opt for physical destruction of your IT assets. This involves using specialized equipment, such as shredders, crushers, or incinerators, to break down your IT assets into small pieces that cannot be reconstructed or reused. Physical destruction is the most secure and irreversible way to dispose of IT assets, but it also has some drawbacks, such as environmental impact, cost, and waste management. Therefore, you should only use physical destruction as a last resort or for highly sensitive data.

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Kasiimu Ssenyondo

IAM Solutions ✪ ITSM ✪ ITIL ✪ ITAM ✪ PSIM/CSIM ✪ Physical Security systems ✪ PAM ✪ Enterprise Mobile security
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I agree with this view; physical distraction of assets, especially various storage memories like RAM, hard drives, and SSDs, is more appropriate than all that has been listed above.

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5 Keep track of your IT asset inventory

Finally, you should keep track of your IT asset inventory and update it regularly to reflect the changes in your IT infrastructure and outsourcing arrangements. This will help you identify and locate your IT assets that need to be disposed of, as well as monitor their status and location throughout the disposal process. You can use various tools, such as spreadsheets, databases, or asset management software, to record and manage your IT asset inventory. You should also document and review your IT asset disposal policies and procedures to ensure that they comply with your legal and contractual obligations and industry best practices.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Andre Gorvel FCIIS

Independent Consultant and vCISO | Risk & Compliance Specialist
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Whilst I broadly agree with the previous statements, the first consideration is not destruction, or encryption. These steps can only be performed if you: 1. can define and classify your IP. 2. can identify where that IP exists and in what format. 3. understand the impact at loss misuse etc. Once these steps are understood then apply data destruction, encryption, redaction etc.

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René J. Aerdts, Ph.D.
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One of the key considerations with IP is that it may be needed at some point in the future. As some of the IP is embedded in application and/or code, it is important to make sure that the IP is saved before the permanent destruction of the code.

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How can you dispose of IT assets while protecting intellectual property?

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1 Choose a reliable IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendor

2 Encrypt your data before disposal

3 Wipe your data using secure methods

4 Destroy your data physically

5 Keep track of your IT asset inventory

6 Here’s what else to consider

IT Outsourcing

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How can you dispose of IT assets while protecting intellectual property?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Choose a reliable IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendor

2 Encrypt your data before disposal

3 Wipe your data using secure methods

4 Destroy your data physically

5 Keep track of your IT asset inventory

6 Here’s what else to consider

IT Outsourcing

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