Most of us have had a moment of pure panic when we accidentally deleted a file from our computer. We’ve also felt the immense relief of discovering that deleted files aren’t really gone and can be retrieved. But now that the new General Data Protection Regulation is in effect, we have a new worry about deleted files. Now we need to be sure that some of the data deleted can never be retrieved. Old data must be destroyed, not just deleted. The GDPR shredding requirements include digital data.
We’ve all seen the headlines when a company accidentally releases private data. Whether it is by a careless employee losing a laptop or a sophisticated hacker, the damage to the company – and the customers – is real. Private financial, health and personal information can be used to harm real people. While we all tend to click along giving out our details to get what we want online, we do it because we have a baseline of trust in the brand names we are sharing our details with. Once that trust is broken, it is not easily rebuilt.
One of the biggest risks is when we upgrade our computer systems. The hard drives in those old desktops contain vulnerable data that must be protected. The computers cannot simply be cleaned and then donated somewhere. To comply with today’s stringent data protection regulations, the hard drives must be shredded. GDPR compliance in Ireland is essential. It’s the law, and it is good business. Consumers need a certain level of trust for any kind of transaction from buying a litre of milk to buying a home. Every business in Ireland will need to reassure their customers that they are meeting GDPR shredding requirements.
This new regulation is complex and comprehensive. The GDPR shredding requirements are not the biggest challenge. Organisations will have to determine if they need a data protection officer. Many now must draft a policy for dealing with data breaches. Paper and online forms must be reviewed to ensure they require people to give consent to how their data will be used and stored. But at least one aspect of GDPR compliance can be outsourced with confidence. Cyclone Shredding offers GDPR compliant hard drive as well as paper shredding.
We come to your location and shred hard drives or paper onsite, under your supervision. We also provide a Certificate of Destruction, giving you peace of mind and documented confirmation that the data on your old hard drives is not vulnerable. You can find plenty of entertaining suggestions online for destroying the data on old hard drives. That’s good for a laugh, but when you want to meet GDPR shredding requirements with confidence, you can turn to experienced professionals who can guarantee their work, such as Cyclone Shredding.
