Chances are, if you’ve worked in an office, you’ve come in contact with e-waste in some way or form. That desk drawer filled with flash drives? That’s e-waste. That dinosaur PC inhabiting the cubicle beside you? That’s e-waste.
Regardless of its form, it’s always there; just waiting to be disposed of to make way for the newest technological solution to our business woes. You’ve never given it much thought have you? Well maybe you should. In fact, the incorrect disposal of e-waste can lead to major security breaches. That got your attention. Security breach, the buzzword of the moment. It feels like you cannot turn on a news program or read a news feed without seeing it.
The fact of the matter is – in today’s society, data equals profit. Hackers and data thieves can collect as much as $10-$27 per credit card number they provide to a buyer! Eye-opening isn’t it? Just think what the world would be like if companies didn’t invest in the increasingly-mandatory e-waste disposal.
Say Goodbye To Convenience
It’s nothing new to conclude that with technological advancement comes convenience. With the emergence of infinite data storage, digital automation, and everyone’s personal favorite – email – life is made easier. We can search thousands of records for someone’s contact information, have a program generate an email with their personal information, and then send it on its way within a matter of minutes.
Imagine how long that would take you if you had to do all of this manually. If hard drive shredding or computer shredding did not exist, manual would be your only option. Why? Because consistent hard drive, computer, and mobile shredding help keep our storage clouds, data management systems, or company servers secure.
Just because we don’t use a certain device anymore doesn’t necessarily mean someone else can’t use it maliciously; especially, if that computer or device still has highly confidential files stored on it or if your company’s current data storage is still accessible. If companies don’t dispose of these devices properly, all data, regardless of where it is stored, will be compromised.
Clutter, Clutter Everywhere
Technology also deserves a lot of credit in the organization and minimizing departments. Without computers, our offices would have much more paper, many more filing cabinets, and much more clutter. Most companies are required to keep some information anywhere from 3-10 years because there are rules for keeping certain documents for an extended amount of time.
Can you imagine how much paper that would be if all of your company’s files were TANGIBLE FILES?! Many companies would cease to exist if this were the case. Luckily, e-waste disposal takes care of this problem before it can even begin. By disposing of old file data properly, companies can keep their new (or old) data on their server for as long as they like without worries of a security breach.
Who Are You Really?
Last, but definitely not least, we come to the most menacing aspect of security breaches: identity theft. Could you imagine living in a world where you couldn’t be sure anyone is really who they say they are? A world without mobile, hard drive, or computer shredding could very much be that type of place.
By properly disposing of e-waste through hard drive or mobile shredding, companies greatly decrease their chances of their confidential data falling into the wrong hands. Without it, compromised data is almost inevitable due to its current demand.
If people can get paid for something as easy as turning on an old cell phone or computer that was thrown in the garbage, they will do it. As a result, they could possibly access everything from one’s social security number to their home address or bank account. The consequences are limitless.
It’s safe to say, the world would be a scary, inconvenient, and painfully annoying place without e-waste disposal. For more information on how your company can implement your own e-waste disposal program, contact your local computer shredding company or business waste management company.