Delete data and sanitize equipment before disposal

Secure disposal of data, both physical and electronic, is crucial to preventing data breaches. Simply deleting your data does not actually remove it from the hard drive and it can still be recovered. You need to use secure deletion to permanently delete data. When it is time to dispose of your data, be sure to follow the right methods so your data will not be compromised. The following methods are recommended by IT: 

Services

For secure disposal of electronic data:

  • UCSF IT offers a Drive, Tape, & Data Destruction service in which IT will collect and destroy any electronic media (e.g., hard drives, tapes) that contains restricted data, including PII (personally identifiable information) and PHI (protected health information). This service is HIPAA and NIST 800-88 compliant. It is free and available to any faculty, staff, student, or department at UCSF. 

Secure disposal of paper media: 

  • Use secure disposal bins. If you do not have a bin, your department manager can order one from the vendor, Shredit, by contacting their customer service at 1-800-MYSHRED (1-800-697-4733) or [email protected] and creating a requisition in BearBuy. If you do not have access to a secure disposal bin, use a cross-cut shredder. They are available at most office supply stores. If you are working from home, you may need to ask your supervisor about purchasing one for home use.

Secure reformat of hard drive:

  • The only way to ensure all UCSF data has been removed from your hard drive is to securely reformat (erase) it. Instructions to securely reformat your hard drive can be found on the Clean Up Your Personal Computer page.
    • UCSF IT can assist with securely wiping a hard drive on an UCSF IT supported workstation using dban, an open-source data wiping software for personal use. 

Directions

  1. Dispose of electronic media or request secure reformat of a hard drive by requesting help from the IT Service Desk or calling 415-514-4100.
  2. Dispose of physical media by using a secure bin.
    1. If a secure bin can not be used, use a cross-cut shredder. 

Support

For further questions or support, submit a ticket with IT.