What is a Certificate of Data Destruction?

5
Oct

Data is important to any company and how that data is destroyed once devices reach the end of their life-cycle is also very important. Not tending to your data carefully during the destruction process can be disastrous. It’s one of the ways that data breaches happen and no business wants to have to survive a data breach. When you are looking for a data destruction company, you want to be sure that you are trusting in one that will provide you with a certificate of data destruction. But what is a certificate of data destruction? Sadoff has your answers.

What Does a Certificate of Data Destruction Do?

For the most part, a certificate of destruction is about maintaining custody of data until destruction and verifying destruction. It’s also a way to ensure that your data destruction company and not your company maintains liability for that data and anything that might have happened with that data after it left your custody.

Without such a document, you could be left on the hook should the worst happen. A lot of data destruction companies, especially ones without certifications or an i-SIGMA membership, do not provide these by default. Consider this when you are selecting a partner to handle your data destruction services.

What Should a Certificate of Data Destruction Contain?

A certificate of destruction should include several things including both your company name and the name of the company that performed the destruction. There should be a full accounting of each drive that was destroyed along with any identifying materials. The certificate should also state that the drives were destroyed, where they were destroyed, the method of destruction. and the exact date that the destruction took place. There will also be a signature on the certificate.

Read More: 3 Methods of Data Destruction

Do You Need a Certificate of Data Destruction?

This is a question without a straightforward answer. In most cases, you do not NEED one, but if the worst should happen, you will definitely want to know that you have one on file somewhere. These types of documents can come up in audits and will surely be a part of any data breach investigation that involves data that was supposed to be destroyed.

Physical Theft: An Overlooked Cause of Data Breaches

Does Sadoff Provide a Certificate of Data Destruction?

Absolutely! Sadoff believes in providing documentation for everything that we do and if you require any special documentation for the job, we will be more than happy to oblige. When you reach out to us for a quote, let us know what you need in addition to your certificate of destruction. This applies not just to data devices but also to any electronics that we recycle.

We know that documentation can be important. Whether you need to prove something to a landlord, have a board of directors that needs special documentation, or if you just want documentation to provide peace of mind, we are here to provide it.

Get a Quote on Data Destruction From Sadoff

Are you looking for a quote on your data destruction or e-recycling services? Sadoff is here to help. We have locations in Wisconsin and Nebraska, but we provide our services nationwide. You can reach out to us for a quote today!

Categorized in: Data Security