17 August 2007
Businesses have been warned to not forget the security of their confidential information in the rush to comply with the Weee directive.
The directive, which came into force on the 1st July, places a legal duty on businesses to ensure that their old and redundant IT equipment is recycled. However, PHS Datashred is encouraging its customers to check that steps are taken to remove any confidential information before equipment is re-used or re-furbished.
Anthony Pearlgood, commercial director of PHS Datashred said; "The move to encourage businesses to recycle their old electronic equipment is long overdue but as a security specialist we feel that we have an obligation to remind customers to first protect the security of their staff, customer and company information."
Pearlgood, who is also chair of the British Security Industry Association's information destruction division, added; "Recycling your old computers is an excellent idea, but we would also remind organisations to check that the company they use to refurbish or recycle their equipment is also completely removing any information that may still be on the hard drive."