EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2016 | Page 40

Multifunction Machines, Copiers, Scanners, and Printers
Many people do not realize that multifunction machines,

copiers, scanners, and printers have internal hard drives that

contain data that has been printed, copied, or scanned. When

you are retiring one of these machines or turning in a machine

that is coming off lease, make sure it doesn’t leave your building
without the hard drive removed or data erased.
Special Considerations for the Healthcare Industry
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

is a US law that created strict privacy standards to protect

patients’ medical records and health information. If you are in
the healthcare industry and are upgrading or getting rid of a

computer, laptop, or tablet, you should take the proper steps to

ensure all the data is destroyed or wiped before disposal. (If you

Plan Ahead
Data security should be a high priority for your business.

You may be surprised at the places wh ere your residual business
information can hide. Remember, once a technology device is in

the trash, it enters the public domain and can be taken by anyone,
including “dumpster diving” identity thieves or other criminals.
Make data destruction a part of your IT asset disposition plan

to ensure that hard drives, disks, embedded memory, and other
data storage components are wiped or physically obliterated.

Once data is destroyed, enforce an IT recycling policy in your
organization. Take your old equipment to a certified e-waste

recycler or participate in Vann Data’s annual recycling event to
ensure your equipment is disposed of in an environmentally
safe manner.

are upgrading, you will, of course, have
to back up your old device before you
destroy or wipe the data.)

Dispose of Responsibly
Now that you’ve destroyed the

data on your old device, do you have a
disposal plan for it? You should. When
old computers and other technology

items are tossed out as regular trash,
they are taken to landfills where

the rain and the elements release

hazardous chemicals into the air, water,
and ground, with toxic effects on the

environment. One way to safely discard
your equipment is to recycle it through
a certified electronic waste (e-waste)
recycler.

For Volusia County businesses,

Vann Data Services, Inc. (Vann Data)
hosts an annual e-waste recycling
program in partnership with A1

Assets of Longwood, FL. A1 Assets is a
certified e-waste recycler that adheres

to national and international standards

for e-recycling, providing a safe way for
consumers and businesses to dispose
of e-waste. Vann Data provides the

venue for the recycling event—the parking lot of their corporate
headquarters on Dunn Avenue in Daytona Beach. A1 Assets
provides the recycling specialists who ensure that all items

are accepted and processed in accordance with certification

standards. (For more information about Vann Data’s e-waste
recycling program see the next page.)

| 40 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE

Todd Huffstickler, Owner of Vann Data Services, Inc.,
has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and more
than 31 years experience working in the IT industry.
Vann Data acts as the IT Department for businesses
with 10-100 computers. For more information contact:
386-310-1702 | www.vanndata.com.