Erasure vs Granulation of Hard Drives: why choose Erasure where possible?
We always prioritise security and sustainability wherever we can, but for the sake of our clients and compliance, security will take precedence.
This means we will carry out on-site shredding/granulation of hard drives if required or desired by clients. However, this is often not the best solution for both security and sustainability - why?
This is because devices that have their hard drive shredded will create more waste, greatly increasing the chance of some parts not being disposed of correctly.
Shredding a hard drive forces parts and devices to be recycled (and unfortunately often landfilled) which avoids reusing. Reusing is a preferable solution to waste management in the circular economy framework.
That is why it is great that erasure software, such as Blancco, exists. It allows for a hard drive to be wiped securely so that a client can receive the same peace of mind about security that shredding offers, whilst also creating less waste.
On top of the sustainability benefits, we can also see the benefit of providing more affordable technology to others, as the devices can then be used again. This is a great time to mention our charity of the year and partner Community TechAid! They do great work closing the digital divide by providing technology and training to those who need it most in our communities! They also care deeply about the issue of e-waste and so our goals are very nicely aligned as you can see in our mission below! Check out what Community TechAid do and see if you can help out here: https://www.communitytechaid.org.uk/what-we-do
ICEX GROUP’s mission is to securely revive or relocate, and if necessary, recycle all our clients’ technology assets, to help achieve digital equality, and reduce e-waste to landfill.
If your company policy is to go for shredding - maybe it is time to think about erasure! We will make our case for erasure but we always go with what clients need, as we totally understand having peace of mind about security.
For more about what ICEX do and to see how we can help your organisation with the secure and sustainable handling of your e-waste, please don’t hesitate to contact our team!
📞 01376 503900