If you're going to get rid of your computer - whether you're throwing it out, recycling it, or donating it - we all know there's one thing you've got to do first, and that's to delete your pernephewal data. But that doesn't just apply to your own PC - if you don't remove data properly from computers - and mobile phones - at work, the risk can be even higher.
A Birthday Gift
Andrew wanted to give his sister a new computer for his birthday. Since he was a trusted employee, his employers at WardCo saw no problem with letting him have an old PC from work. The important files had all been deleted, after all; what could possibly go wrong?
Happy To Help
Andrew was delighted; it meant he could help out Rhoda's family, who saved hundreds of pounds on the cost of the laptop. Better still, it came ready for immediate use, with the software fully installed. And Rhoda was a good girl; she'd never do anything illegal, so it seemed there was nothing to worry about.
Change Of Ownership
But three months later, Rhoda got an offer she couldn't refuse: a brand new iPad, and at a fraction of the recommended retail price. At first she didn't know what to do with the laptop, but then remembered her mate's nephew Joe was studying computer science, and needed a laptop.
The Wrong Hands
Rhoda deleted his personal files from the laptop, and then passed it on to Joe, in the same state in which he'd received it from Andrew. Sadly, though, Joe wasn't the trustworthy lad he appeared to be.
Complaints
A few months later, WardCo started getting complaint calls. Some of their customers had paid them for items- but never got them. With his basic computer knowledge, the nephew had found it easy to retrieve information from the PC's hard drive- not only about Andrew's sister, but also his company.
The Price
Andrew's 'good turn' ended up costing WardCo thousands of pounds. Even though they didn't lose any money of their own, they did lose the confidence of several major customers, who took their business elsewhere.
Safeguards
Donating computers isn't just generous, it's green as well, but if data isn't removed properly it can be used against you, as Andrew's case shows. Thousands of pounds were lost because of one donated computer - and if you've just had a system upgrade, the potential risk is much greater.
Don't Just Delete
Deleting your files won't necessarily safeguard you against fraud, and even if you reformat your hard drive, some criminals are technically skilled enough to retrieve the data.
Destroy To Be Safe
To be completely sure of protecting your business, you need to physically destroy the computer's hard drive. If your employees use company mobile phones to access the internet, these will retain data they've accessed - data like phone numbers, passwords and sensitive customer information. To make sure your sensitive data remains safe, old mobile phones should be destroyed too.
A Birthday Gift
Andrew wanted to give his sister a new computer for his birthday. Since he was a trusted employee, his employers at WardCo saw no problem with letting him have an old PC from work. The important files had all been deleted, after all; what could possibly go wrong?
Happy To Help
Andrew was delighted; it meant he could help out Rhoda's family, who saved hundreds of pounds on the cost of the laptop. Better still, it came ready for immediate use, with the software fully installed. And Rhoda was a good girl; she'd never do anything illegal, so it seemed there was nothing to worry about.
Change Of Ownership
But three months later, Rhoda got an offer she couldn't refuse: a brand new iPad, and at a fraction of the recommended retail price. At first she didn't know what to do with the laptop, but then remembered her mate's nephew Joe was studying computer science, and needed a laptop.
The Wrong Hands
Rhoda deleted his personal files from the laptop, and then passed it on to Joe, in the same state in which he'd received it from Andrew. Sadly, though, Joe wasn't the trustworthy lad he appeared to be.
Complaints
A few months later, WardCo started getting complaint calls. Some of their customers had paid them for items- but never got them. With his basic computer knowledge, the nephew had found it easy to retrieve information from the PC's hard drive- not only about Andrew's sister, but also his company.
The Price
Andrew's 'good turn' ended up costing WardCo thousands of pounds. Even though they didn't lose any money of their own, they did lose the confidence of several major customers, who took their business elsewhere.
Safeguards
Donating computers isn't just generous, it's green as well, but if data isn't removed properly it can be used against you, as Andrew's case shows. Thousands of pounds were lost because of one donated computer - and if you've just had a system upgrade, the potential risk is much greater.
Don't Just Delete
Deleting your files won't necessarily safeguard you against fraud, and even if you reformat your hard drive, some criminals are technically skilled enough to retrieve the data.
Destroy To Be Safe
To be completely sure of protecting your business, you need to physically destroy the computer's hard drive. If your employees use company mobile phones to access the internet, these will retain data they've accessed - data like phone numbers, passwords and sensitive customer information. To make sure your sensitive data remains safe, old mobile phones should be destroyed too.
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