Hard drive and media destruction services

Hard drive and media destruction is the most secure way to permanently destroy electronically-saved data.

Whilst printed information has traditionally been the main target of fraudsters looking to benefit from identity theft, confidential information stored in hard drives is now under threat from the same criminal activity.

Typically when organisations upgrade their computers, before sending them to recyclers, the hard drives are removed and specialist software is used to erase all confidential data. However, whilst some modern programmes do indeed erase the data, some simply delete the file directories on the hard drive, leaving the actual data behind.

This information can then be easily restored to its original state by using other available software, giving someone access to confidential and private information that was believed to have been destroyed - leaving organisations vulnerable to fraud.

Simply erasing your hard drive doesn't ensure your confidential data is actually gone. Hard drive destruction is proven to be the most secure way to permanently destroy electronically-saved data. Shred-it has state-of-the-art shredding machinery which is specifically designed to shred hard drives so that no data can ever be retrieved or reconstructed.

By physically shredding the hard drive into tiny pieces, you can be 100% sure that your data has been permanently destroyed. That's why most Shred-it branches now offer hard drive and data destruction to our customers.

The Destruction Process

For Shred-it customers who choose our secure hard drive and data destruction services, for disposing of media waste such as CD’s, floppy disks, DVD’s and microfiche, dedicated security consoles can be provided, clearly labeled for media destruction.

Similar to our paper shredding services, we ensure an end-to-end chain of security for your data destruction needs. From the moment your hard drives are placed into our locked security consoles, you can rest assured that they will be safe and secure until they are shredded.

At a time that is convenient for you, our privately insured and security-checked Customer Service Representatives collect all media materials from your locked security consoles and transport them to high-security shredding trucks waiting at your door, where they are destroyed on site*.

To maintain compliance standards, a Certificate of Destruction is then provided to confirm the exact date and time of destruction, thereby guaranteeing the safe disposal of your media materials.

In addition to hard drives, most Shred-it branches also accept the following media materials for hard drive and data destruction: