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4 Questions to Ask Your Technology Disposal Company

November 3, 2015

technology disposal company

When you’re ready to dispose of your old technology assets, do so with the support and guidance of people whose job it is to stay on top of the ever-evolving regulatory and security requirements: a certified compliant and dependable technology disposal company.

4 Things You Need to Know About Your Technology Disposal Company

We’ve outlined a few questions to ask your technology disposal company:

1. Are they certified for data destruction and environmental compliance?

With so many stories about data breaches and information leaks dominating the news over the last few years, most organizations are a little spooked about how they’re disposing of their used technology assets.

You may be vulnerable to legal ramifications if you don’t dispose of your data and drive assets properly. If your sensitive data leaks, you’ll have to answer to the law and your customers. Financial penalties can be quite harsh, and a tarnished reputation can have long-term ramifications.

Environmental compliance laws have become far more strict over the last decade, and getting hit with environmental penalties is a bad “look” for any organization. Now more than ever, it’s important to vet a technology asset disposal company to ensure they have industry certifications for both security and environmental compliance.

2. Do they understand the resale market?

Your technology asset disposal company should know the resale market inside and out in order for your organization to get the best return on the equipment it’s retiring.

PCs, laptops, and servers that are less than three to four years old retain value, even if they’re no longer of use to your company. If you’re ready to dispose of your technology assets, why not recover that value? Remarketing your technology assets is an opportunity to recoup some of the initial investment or cover some or all of the disposal costs.

Your technology asset disposal company should understand price trends on the resale market and help your organization plan ahead and determine when your assets will turn from revenue generators to cost creators. They should help you plan to refresh your technology cycles to ensure that you get the optimum value on your old equipment.

3. How do they document data destruction and disposal?

Find out from any potential provider how they document their full process. There are too many factors along the way during the disposal process that could find your organization liable for mistakes made by your provider.

Disposing of data can have security, financial, and software asset management implications. Proper documentation can shield your company from financial and legal penalties. You should be provided with a Certificate of Data Destruction and a detailed inventory report, as well as a report to show the environmental impact that your responsible recycling is having.

4. Can they serve all of your locations?

Technology asset disposal can be a pretty complicated matter. From drive sanitization to environmental compliance, there are numerous reasons to rely on a proven and trusted technology disposal company.

Don’t forget to ask about logistics. Your vendor has to have experience that allows them to serve all of your sites and the logistical capability to properly handle all of your assets.

If you have multiple locations, make sure you hire a disposal company that can handle your work load and that understands the different regulations that might be in play in each of your locations.

 

Data Protection | Dont’ Let Your Data Fall Into the Wrong Hands

October 1, 2015

data protection

Class-action lawsuits, crippling financial penalties, tarnished reputations and even jail time are some of the repercussions that can stem from information falling into the wrong hands and the lack of data protection.

If you think your organization is immune to a data breach, you’re wrong.

Early next year the movie, Snowden, will be released, detailing the story of Edward Snowden, an American computer professional who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the British daily newspaper, The Guardian, in 2013.

If the NSA can be compromised, that probably means every organization has some type of vulnerability. There are, however, precautions that can be taken.

One particular point of vulnerability for every organization is when they refresh their technology assets. Just because new technology has entered the building, that doesn’t mean that you’re no longer responsible for the data on the technology that is being disposed of.

The best way to ensure that your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to hire a trustworthy, dependable Technology Asset Disposal firm like Maxxum.

Data Protection Made Easy

Demand certified drive sanitization and destruction. Maxxum creates a smart, strategic partnership with each client. We will help your organization build a comprehensive and cost-effective risk-management program. This program eliminates potential data and environmental breaches and offers a secure, documented chain of custody that mitigates liability.

Maxxum utilizes best practices for sanitization of digitally stored information, meeting the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) standard, also adopted by the Department of Defense.

Our comprehensive documentation and certification includes:

  • Asset receipt reporting provided by Maxxum’s technology center
  • Certification of data destruction by serial number of the host machine and drives
  • Drive sanitization date and method used

If you need physical destruction of your drives to ensure data protection, Maxxum can help. We offer certified and documented physical destruction that shields you and your company.

Technology breaches are happening to organizations big and small. If you’re not being diligent about where your data ends up, it can fall into the wrong hands. Ensure data protection and turn your used technology over to Maxxum; it will be disposed of properly.

Maxxum Recertified as a NAID® AAA Information Destruction Operations Provider

August 4, 2014

NAID-AAA-CertLOGO

 

Recertification and new leading-edge service offerings help organizations satisfy rigorous electronic information protection and data destruction requirements

Minneapolis / St. Paul., MN – Maxxum Inc., a leading IT asset disposition solutions provider, has been recertified as a NAID® (National Association for Information Destruction) AAA Certified provider of Asset Disposition services – namely computer hard drive sanitization, as well as mobile and plant-based physical destruction of hard drives. The NAID AAA Certification Program establishes stringent standards for a secure information destruction process, including such areas as operational security, employee hiring and screening, documented processes responsible disposal and insurance. Working with a NAID AAA certified vendor gives organizations peace of mind know that all of their information destruction legal requirements are satisfied.

“Data protection and destruction is an increasingly significant and complex issue for our clients, and with NAID AAA Certified asset disposition services and other leading edge data security services Maxxum is well positioned to help these organizations protect their sensitive information while satisfying rigorous regulatory requirements,” says Rich Woodward, president and owner, Maxxum.

The enforcement of data privacy laws, often accompanied by significant fines, is becoming more prevalent, and over the past two years Maxxum’s client base has grown some 30 to 40 percent as organizations look for help not just with satisfying data destruction requirements, but establishing sound policies and procedures to keep sensitive data secure throughout the IT lifecycle.

“Where two years ago most of our clients were based in the Upper Midwest, today we work with organizations throughout the United States and even into Canada, providing a variety of value-added services to help them efficiently and effectively solve diverse data and IT equipment protection needs,” says Woodward. “We’ve also hired additional personnel to help keep pace with the growing demand for service.”

About NAID

NAID is the non-profit trade organization of the secure destruction industry. Founded in 1994, its mission is to promote proper destruction of all forms of discarded media containing personal and proprietary information. NAID has forged strong relationships internationally with policymakers and regulators, produces an extensive catalog of guidance publications, and enforces security standards for the secure destruction industry around the world.

About Maxxum

With secure, modern facilities located near Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, Maxxum is an IT lifecycle management consulting firm that works with a strong network of clients, suppliers, and recyclers to provide cost effective IT Asset Disposition solutions throughout North America.

As a NAID AAA Certified entity, Maxxum is committed to providing the best customer service in the industry. As IT lifecycle management consultants, every program Maxxum creates is fully customized to meet the specific needs of each client. Maxxum uses industry best practices to sanitize computers and information hearing devices, complete with Certifications of Destruction, as outlined by the Department of Defense Data Security Standard and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Guidelines. Maxxum has a strict no-landfill policy.

Maxxum Inc., 1350 South Field Avenue, Rush City, MN 55069; 651-674-2715; www.maxxuminc.com.

Be Indemnified against IT Security and Financial Risk with MaxxumSAFE Web-Based Compliance Tool

April 14, 2014

“Paperless paper trail” provides proof of process and compliance related to data destruction and environmental disposal regulatory requirements.

MINNEAPOLIS & ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Maxxum Inc., a leading IT asset disposal solutions provider, introduces MaxxumSAFE™ – a web-based document repository and project management tool that provides Maxxum clients with proper exit documentation and ready access to complete information on all end-of-life equipment records by date, location or equipment type. MaxxumSAFE provides proof of compliance to indemnify organizations against IT security and financial risk, and can only be accessed by authorized personnel.

“MaxxumSAFE is essentially a ‘paperless paper trail’ hosted by a third party Tier One US Internet provider that provides proof of process and compliance, in response to regulatory requirements for both data destruction and environmental disposal,” says Rich Woodward, President and CEO, Maxxum, Inc. “Being able to quickly access organized and sortable information can prove absolutely invaluable when during an audit, when proving compliance is critical.”

Maxxum Receives NAID® AAA Certification for Information Destruction Operations

December 11, 2013

Organizations who work with a NAID AAA Certified vendor have peace of mind knowing that all of their information destruction legal requirements are satisfied

RUSH CITY, MN – Maxxum Inc., a leading Midwest IT asset disposal solutions provider, has received NAID® AAA Certification for the company’s  asset disposal operations. The NAID (National Association for Information Destruction, Inc.) AAA Certification Program establishes standards for a secure information destruction process, including such areas as operational security, employee hiring and screening, responsible disposal and insurance.

Most developed nations have information protection laws and regulations that require written information protection procedures – including a written process for selecting a qualified and reputable data destruction vendor. Specifying a NAID AAA Certified information destruction vendor necessarily establishes that criteria, effectively satisfying that legal requirement. Where regulations require ongoing verification of vendor compliance, NAID AAA Certification satisfies that requirement too. Choosing to work with a non-NAID AAA Certified information destruction provider requires the organization to develop some other written and verifiable criteria from scratch.

“It’s not enough to simply obey government regulations – organizations have to prove compliance, which is the Achilles heel of most company’s data destruction, IT disposal, and recycling plans. Maxxum works with corporations, educational organizations, and governmental entities to provide customized data sanitization and IT asset disposal services in accordance with NAID AAA certification. Maxxum assures clients remain fully compliant with all laws and regulations, and provide them with the information to prove compliance.”

NAID AAA Certified service providers subject themselves to intense scrutiny and system verification because they are committed to their customers’ peace of mind. An organization that makes a single mistake in disposing of its PC’s and other electronic assets can easily cost millions of dollars in legal fees, penalties, and lost business, as well as severely tarnish the reputation of the organization. As a NAID AAA Certified service provider, Maxxum tailors hassle-free IT life-cycle management programs that maximize return-on-investment and minimizes cost, and indemnifies the company’s clients against liability.