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Paper shredding is an established business service but it is not a complete information destruction solution. Organizations would be wise to remember this, especially with legislation governing privacy and data protection more stringent than ever. Countless IT assets in virtually every company in every industry store massive volumes of data. Securely destroying this information takes significant resources. For these reasons, many observers believe electronic information destruction is poised for growth. National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) president Bob Johnson raised this point at the NAID conference held in Phoenix on November 30, 2005.
Joseph Bozic, founder and principal of dataXile, the sole Canadian data destruction firm to attend the event, agrees with Mr. Johnson. According to Mr. Bozic, “This sector of the industry has room for growth. Few businesses are aware of all their options. Even worse, many are not aware of the risks.”
Organizations often handle the task of data destruction internally. As data may be sensitive, many decision makers are reluctant to outsource this requirement. Mr. Bozic understands this position. “Security and trust are huge concerns. Many service providers in the market are recyclers or resellers focused on recouping value from old equipment. Secure data disposal is not their primary objective. Fortunately, companies committed to secure electronic information destruction do exist.”
Mr. Bozic cautions that handling data destruction internally could create the exact scenario it is intended to stop. “Companies should be wary of the threat posed by internal staff. Executives need to consider who is a bigger threat, an outsider with minimal knowledge of their industry or a disgruntled employee who knows exactly what they are looking at?” A 2003 computer crime and security survey by the Computer Security Institute and the Federal Bureau of Investigation claims insiders commit approximately 80% of all computer and Internet related crime.
“Even if employees are trustworthy, they frequently have conflicting tasks. Due to its tedious nature, data disposal is often a low priority. This attitude could haunt firms. Imagine your information falling into the wrong hands. Just one mistake could be very harmful.” Mr. Bozic added, “Outsourcing data destruction makes good business sense. Doing so allows employees to concentrate on their primary job functions, leading to time and cost savings. Furthermore, clients can be assured that companies like dataXile, which make data destruction their livelihood, are serious about safeguarding their data.”
As principal of Toronto-based dataXile, Joseph Bozic has designed numerous asset management programs to ease the burden of IT-based data disposal. Mr. Bozic expects demand for such services to increase. “Many companies outsource the destruction of paper documents. Just one hard drive could store all those documents plus many more that have never been printed. Consumers continually demand more privacy. This is reflected in legislation such as PIPEDA and PHIPA. Public scorn increases every time a breach of confidential information occurs and firms risk alienating their customers.”
About dataXile Corporation
Toronto-based dataXile Corporation is an information security company specializing in secure data disposal and information destruction on IT assets. The company understands the risks and challenges associated with secure data disposal and is committed to eliminating them.
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information[.]dataXile.com 
