A key part of any information security strategy is disposing of data once it’s no longer needed. Failure to do so can lead to serious breaches of data-protection and privacy policies, compliance problems, and added costs.

When it comes to selecting ways to destroy data, organizations have a short menu. There are basically three options: overwriting, which is covering up old data with information; degaussing, which erases the magnetic field of the storage media; and physical destruction, which employs techniques such as disk shredding. Each of these techniques has benefits and drawbacks, experts say.

Some organizations use more than one method. For example, microprocessor maker Intel uses all three, “depending on what we’re trying to do and for what purpose,” says Malcolm Harkins, CISO and vice president of the IT group.

[Also read Why information must be destroyed by Ben Rothke]

The data destruction market hasn’t changed much in the past few years, says Ben Rothke, an information security professional with extensive experience in data destruction. “If there is any trend, it is that more firms are aware of the importance of data destruction,” Rothke says.

Still, some organizations, particularly smaller ones, need more education about data destruction, according to Jay Heiser, an analyst at research firm Gartner. “We consider this a very important topic, but it is not one that Gartner clients spend a lot of time asking us about,” Heiser says.

via The in-depth guide to data destruction | Security – InfoWorld.