5 Things You Should Do Before Wiping Your Computer

If you’re upgrading your company’s computers, one of the difficult decisions you must make is what to do with the old ones. One option that’s chosen too often is packing them away in a storage closet to deal with them another day. Of course, this is not ideal and doesn’t provide any return on your investment. If your unwanted devices aren’t too old, you could probably recoup some of your investment through resale. However, this can be a slippery slope if the computer hard drives aren’t properly wiped, as proprietary company data could end up in the wrong hands.

If you want to ensure as smooth a process as possible, here are five steps you’ll want to take before you wipe and dispose of your computers:

DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR COMPUTERS

How old are your computers? Are they still able to run the latest software? If not, then recycling is a viable and eco-friendly way to dispose of them. Most importantly, you shouldn’t throw them in the garbage, as they not only contain hazardous materials, but this could also expose your company data.

BACK UP YOUR DATA

Before you part ways with your computers, you will need to ensure that all data is backed up so you don’t lose any important information. If your company utilizes a network, then most information is likely already saved. If there is data that only lives on the computer’s hard drive, there are plenty of simple ways to copy it to an external hard drive.

DEACTIVATE ANY INSTALLED SOFTWARE

Software companies have strict controls in place to protect their programs, so you’ll want to make sure that you’ve deauthorized any programs you want to continue using. This way, it should be fairly easy to re-authorize them on your new computers.

COPY YOUR BROWSER SETTINGS

Each of your employees likely has browser preferences and plenty of website bookmarks. For this reason, you should encourage them to make a copy of their browser settings using a free program. This will also save a lot of work by copying passwords.

TRUST THE SECURE DATA DESTRUCTION EXPERTS

Once your company’s computers are ready to be wiped or disposed of, there’s a way to ensure that none of your company and customer data is breached: partner with Cascade Asset Management. We’re IT asset disposition specialists that have been serving businesses in highly regulated industries since 1999. We will take possession of your unwanted computers and electronics, ensure that all data is securely destroyed, and provide the final disposition option that best fits your needs. For devices that are no longer viable, we offer eco-friendly recycling and will ensure that all hazardous materials are properly disposed of. For devices that still have some time left in them, we can: