May 17, 2011

Retiring a Computer? What about the Data on the Hard Drive?

So, your department is getting new computers. Great! The old computers are headed out the door but are they taking your data with them? They might be.

Recently, state computers headed for public auction in New Jersey were audited by the state’s comptroller. The audit revealed that 79% of the computers examined still had confidential information on them, including Social Security numbers and child abuse case information.

While the private sector takes a centralized approach, governments usually do this more department-by-department, according to an article in Government Technology. One expert suggests that by centralizing this process states could save a lot of money and provide a better outcome.