A survey of IT Directors carried out by DSA Connect, an IT asset disposal company which specialises in the permanent deletion and destruction of electronic data, reveals that 50% admit to destroying IT hardware as opposed to having its data erased, because of a growing fear that this will not be done properly increasing their risk of making data breaches and facing fines.

Three out of ten IT Directors interviewed admitted to mothballing IT hardware for this reason, and a further 10% said they are doing this because they are not confident of being able to sell it to a reliable third party who can guarantee that the data on it will be erased properly.

These concerns come at a time when 66% of IT Directors believe the amount end of life hardware technology held by their employers is increasing.  Some 52% said this is happening because of growing concerns about the quality of professional data erasure services and 39% who said it’s because of the growing number of people leaving their firms due to the COVID-19 crisis. Nearly one in ten (9%) say they are storing more because of increasing regulation around data storage and erasure, and a fear of doing something that breaks these.

Overall, DSA Connect’s research found that 32% of IT directors are ‘very concerned’ about the security issues around the disposal of IT hardware, and 50% are ‘quite concerned.’

Harry Benham, Chairman of DSA Connect said:

“We are pleased to see how seriously businesses are taking the laws around data erasure and IT hardware destruction. Businesses are right to be cautious when it comes to their end of life hardware, if not wiped correctly, they could face significant fines for data breaches, which could also damage their brand and reputation.

“We are seeing an increasing number of companies that claim to legally and professionally dispose of data and end of life hardware, however we have found that the processes some of them use are flawed and the data they have deleted can be retrieved.”

DSA Connect provides a secure IT asset disposal service utilising a methodology created in partnership with the Ministry of Defence. Its IT end-of-life service allows for the complete removal and data eradication from IT equipment and electronic devices by using tools certified by CESG and approved by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Also, depending on the quantity and type of equipment for disposal, DSA Connect offers a rebate of up to 60% on all re-saleable assets.

The company was established in 2011 to partner the Ministry of Defence in developing the MoD’s asset disposal service.