Your old copier might “leak” sensitive information if you do not take proper precautions. The liability could be substantial if your business is subject to regulations like HIPAA, GLBA, etc.
PROBLEM: Hard drives in copiers retain data that could be sensitive.
Most digital copiers (especially those with a network scanner feature) use a hard drive to keep copies of information as it is processed. However, the data is rarely (if ever) deleted until more space is needed. And when it is deleted, there are still remnants of the old data.
If the local technician does repair work, or the copier is exchanged for a new one, the information on the drive could be extracted even though the business thinks the data is not accessible.
RESOLUTION: Enforce data wiping on drives.
Choose one of the following approaches:
- Retain the hard drive and send it to a service provider for a security wipe.
- Retain the hard drive and physically destroy it.
- Require the service provide to certify that it has done either #1 or #2 above.
You can watch the CBS Video or the CBS news article that provides more (& scary) background.
