Your customers, employees, and business partners — they all count on you to keep their personal and company information confidential. But do you really know how to fulfill that obligation? Only certain data erasure methods provide fool-proof protection against sophisticated data thieves who know how to recover even the most obscure traces of data.
Here are three important reasons to make secure data wiping a top priority:
1. Federal fines
To combat a recent uptick in personal data leakage, the Federal Trade Commission is keeping an extremely close eye on company data handling procedures, including the disposal of confidential information on retired computer hard drives or other digital equipment.
The FTC’s Disposal Rule requires any person who possesses consumer information for a business purpose to take reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access or use of that information.
If you are found to be out of compliance, penalties can be up to $3,500 per violation and can add up quickly.
2. Lawsuits
If you fail to comply with federal, state, local, and industry-specific privacy laws, you could find yourself facing not only government fines, but potentially criminal or civil charges as well.
The Federal Trade Commission, or your state government, can criminally charge your company with improper disposal of sensitive information rather than penalizing with a fine.
In addition, any individuals affected by identity theft due to your company’s inability to fully wipe their personal data off your retired IT equipment can bring a civil suit against your organization. If numbers of exposed individuals are high, you could be facing a class-action lawsuit. Identity theft is on the rise, and mishandling of customer information on your off-lease equipment and retired hard drives could be a major issue.
3. Damage to company reputation and brand image
There’s a famous quote: “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” Damage to your company can’t be quantified in dollar amounts, but news — particularly bad news — travels quickly among industry leaders and cohorts.
Poor protection of sensitive information can hurt your reputation, putting at risk even your longest-standing relationships with employees, customers, vendors, and partners. It can also damage your brand image in your industry, affecting your chances of future relationships with new customers and business partners.
Secure data-wiping should be a top priority
Making secure data wiping a top priority is an essential way to protect your business.
Failing to protect your own business data as well as personal data of those that have trusted you to do so can have far-reaching consequences. Federal fines, lawsuits, a damaged reputation, and leaving your business vulnerable will all affect your bottom line, potentially irrevocably.
A fully insured, auditable, and accountable data wipe solutions team is your best protection. Contact us at Mainstream Global to learn more about our comprehensive solutions for data destruction, data erasure, and data erasure validation. offers comprehensive solutions for data destruction, data erasure and data erasure validation.
Mainstream Global, Inc., headquartered in Lawrence, Mass., owns and operates processing centers in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. With over 18 years of directly servicing and re-selling assets from top tier manufacturers, Mainstream Global is the recognized expert in the region. Our partners rely on us for compliance, security, professionalism, and brand protection, all while providing the best returns and prioritizing global environmental standards.
