TechR2

IT Asset Decomissioning Policies: 7 Questions You Need to Ask

A decommissioning policy is important for many reasons. It helps you maintain compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. It creates an efficient process for your IT department, and most importantly it can save you from a costly data breach. Creating the policy can be difficult as there are many aspects that must be taken into consideration. Below are 7 things that should be considered when you are defining your company’s decommissioning policy:

The Cost of a Data Breach

A malicious attack (hacking, stealing, etc) can cost up to 25% more than a non-malicious attack. However, most data breaches occur due to the negligence from within the organization. This includes, the loss of a mobile device (cell phone, external hard drive), unsecured storage of retired computers, hard drives, and other data bearing devices. Here are a few examples of some recent data breaches that are a product of improper disposal and lost media devices.

ISO 27001: What Does It Mean & Why is it Important?

ISO 27001: What Does It Mean & Why is it Important? [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text] We’re proud to announce that TechR2 has received ISO 27001 Certification. We’re very excited about this step forward, but what does it all mean? [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides globally recognized management standards to the electronics recycling industry on […]

Top 5 Ways to Ensure Data Security

Top 5 Ways to Ensure Data Security According to NIST 800-88 guidelines, it is critical that a business or organization, maintain a record of its data destruction to track the “who, what, when, where, why” of how the data was retired. Only a clear record of proper disposal can protect a business from the harm […]

The High Cost of "Free" Data Destruction

The High Cost of “Free” Data Destruction IT asset disposal made headlines around the world last week when the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined NHS Surrey £200,000 (about $300,000) over loss of secret data of more than 3,000 patients. According to the data watchdog, thousands of patient records were discovered on a second-hand NHS […]

Outsource your IT without risking your data and device security

Outsource your IT without risking your data and device security [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]A 2013 Gartner report predicted the global IT outsourcing market to reach $288 billion, with Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Great China markets expanding more than 13 percent. In a recent article, Bryan Britz, Research Vice President at Gartner, said, “Enterprise buyers pursuing hybrid IT […]

Is it IT’s job to convince their execs to prioritize data security?

Is it IT’s job to convince their execs to prioritize data security? [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]A recent blog post in Tech Republic cites an enlightening Ponemon Institute report about the effectiveness of security metrics. As it turns out, great security metrics typically don’t drive companies to enhance security. Why? It’s no surprise that IT people either feel […]

Is your CEO criminally liable if discarded data devices aren’t clean?

Is your CEO criminally liable if discarded data devices aren’t clean? IT professionals are often frustrated by CEOs and corporate executives who don’t prioritize data security. This is frequently a case of priorities and personalities rather than rational decision making. Last week we wrote about corporate executives imprisoned for improper disposal of technology waste. This […]

Retiring point of sale terminals? Protect your data.

Retiring point of sale terminals? Protect your data. We’ve all been to the grocery store, tried to sign the screen for our credit card purchase, and watched as our careful signature is rendered as an illegible scrawl. In-store credit card terminals and point of sale (POS) terminals don’t last forever. But what happens when they […]

Server Refreshes Create Data Breach Vulnerabilities

  As Big Data Grows so does the Risk With companies of all sizes moving to cloud computing data centers are playing a bigger role. With this vast increase in data centers come vast increases in purchasing, implementing, removing, and risk. In recent years, 74% of data centers around the globe have added servers to […]