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All companies have to create a plan for when their electronic devices are retired. With technology changing so quickly, companies are trying to keep up with the latest improvements. While this is a good thing, it also means that there are an increased amount of old hard drives and information devices that are being stored somewhere. While these old devices are not being used anymore, they are still a liability. One of the best ways to make sure your company does not fall victim to a costly safety breach is to undergo a safety audit.
One of the most common safety standards that are used internationally is OHSAS 18001. This international used standard is a British based standard for safety management and occupational health systems. Its principal parts help to create a guide or framework for elements such as how to reduce the potential for accidents, how to identify and lower health and safety risks, how to remain legally compliant and how to generally improve overall performance. The updated OHSAS 18001 has been formatted to similar standards such as the ISO 14000 so that more organizations could quickly adopt the OHSAS standards.
Following the OHSAS standards is a great way to start your data security audit. The process will help to ensure your company is doing everything in its power to remain secure. Additionally, there are things your company can do today to make sure you have a good data security plan in place. The first thing you need to do is chart out the life cycle of an individual asset such as an old hard drive. Once the hard drive is retired, where does it go? Does it end up in a landfill or do you take it to storage? Once it's in storage is that it’s final destination or will it continue to a third party re-marketer or recycler? If you’re undergoing an internal audit, make sure there is a plan in place for retired electronic assets. To be secure, consider sending retired electronics to a third party data destruction company to ensure sensitive information won’t get into the wrong hands.
