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Computer hard drives must be prepared properly before reuse or disposal. Sensitive student information and Brandeis data is stored on hard drives as well as University licensed software packages. Access to this sensitive information and licensed University software is available to anyone that obtains reused or disposed equipment. This is an unacceptable practice and the University could be held liable for the release of student or Brandeis information, and/or a violation of software licensing agreements.
Whenever LTS reclaims a computer, we leave it untouched for at least 2 weeks, in case the user suddenly finds that they forgot something important. We label each reclaimed computer with the name and department of its previous user as well as the date it was reclaimed.
After this two-week period elapses for a reclaimed computer that is within lease, we will re-Ghost it to overwrite the drive and set it back to a standard configuration. Before we redeploy the computer to a new user, we confirm that it has no data from previous users. If the computer came from an individual or department that normally handles sensitive data, we will take additional measures to ensure that the drive has been wiped clean of data.
When a computer comes off lease and its user elects not to purchase it, LTS will send it back to the leasing company as is. Per our contract, the leasing company will wipe all data.
When LTS sells a computer to a user, we remove any single-install licensed software and transfer it to their new computer. We leave Microsoft Office on the computer being sold (acceptable per our licensing agreement), along with the user's data and preferences.
Whenever LTS reclaims a computer that contains sensitive data, whether or not the user elects to purchase it, we will ensure that all sensitive data has been removed.
For reuse and disposal of computers not owned by LTS, we strongly recommend the use of a utility for wiping the hard drive that complies with the American DoD 5220-22.M Standard Wipe.
For Mac and PCs, we recommend Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") (http://dban.sourceforge.net/). DBAN is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.
If you're running Linux on an Alpha, Sparc or something else, please contact LTS for assistance in wiping your hard drive.
Floppy disks, zip disks, CDRs, and any other external physical storage media should never be thrown into the trash as-is. The most expedient method of disposal for such media is physical destruction ââ¬" a well-placed pair of nails is sufficient to render media unreadable.
For any other device that stores data, LTS can assist in data removal:
