How Educational Institutions Can Achieve Data Security and Data Wiping Excellence
Data security and data wiping are not only vital for cyber security, but also for the success and reputation of educational institutions, such as schools, colleges and universities. Data security means ensuring that data is safe from unauthorized access, use, modification, disclosure or destruction. Data wiping means making sure that data is permanently erased from storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), flash drives, memory cards and mobile devices.
NDW - PXE based Network Data Wiping works out of the box, does not require any operation system on the wiping station machine, no software installation - just boot the wiping station into PXE - Network and you are already wiping data.
NDW - Hard Disk Drive Barcode Label Printing
Automatically prints the self adhesive thermal barcode labels for each data storage device upon completion of data erasure.
Automated Grading of Data Storage Devices
Each hard disk drive, NVME, SSD and other storage devices are automatically graded post data wiping.
Fully Automated, Bulk Data Erasure Certificates
Automatically generates temper proof data erasure certificates for individual as well as bulk storage devices exportable to PDF format.
Why is data security and data wiping important for educational institutions?
Educational institutions store and process a large amount of sensitive and confidential data, such as personal information of students, staff and alumni, academic records, research data, financial data, intellectual property and other valuable assets. This data is subject to various legal and ethical obligations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Human Rights Act 1998. Moreover, this data is also vulnerable to various cyber threats, such as hacking, phishing, ransomware, malware, identity theft, fraud and espionage.
Data security and data wiping are important for educational institutions to:
- Comply with the relevant laws and regulations and avoid legal penalties, fines or sanctions.
- Protect the privacy and rights of students, staff and alumni and prevent identity theft, fraud or discrimination.
- Safeguard the reputation and credibility of the institution and avoid reputational damage, loss of trust or negative publicity.
- Preserve the integrity and quality of the academic and research data and prevent plagiarism, falsification or sabotage.
- Enhance the efficiency and performance of the IT systems and devices and avoid data loss, corruption or degradation.
- Reduce the costs and risks associated with data breaches, incidents or recovery and avoid financial losses, liabilities or lawsuits.
Compliance with regulatory rules are always important for any ITAD and IT Recycling business. Therefore we have made sure to be compliant with R2v3.
Our software is flexible can be modified to satisfy any regulator requirements.
What are the challenges of data security and data wiping for educational institutions?
Data security and data wiping pose several challenges for educational institutions, such as:
- The complexity and diversity of the IT infrastructure and devices used by the institution, which may include different types of servers, networks, storage devices, laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones and other gadgets.
- The large number and variety of users who access, use or share the data, which may include students, staff, alumni, researchers, partners, contractors, visitors and others.
- The dynamic and evolving nature of the cyber threats and attacks that target the data, which may exploit new vulnerabilities, techniques or technologies.
- The limited resources and expertise available to implement and maintain effective data security and data wiping measures, which may require specialized skills, tools or equipment.
- The lack of awareness and education among users about the importance and best practices of data security and data wiping, which may result in human errors, negligence or non-compliance.
Firmware Secure Erase
Data storage device firmware secure erase and crypto key erase are fundamental for secure data sanitization:
Firmware Secure Erase: This process involves securely wiping the firmware or software that controls a storage device. It ensures that sensitive data, including remnants in the device's memory, is permanently removed, preventing any potential data recovery.
Great England Software's NDW - Automated Network Data Wiping integrates firmware secure erase and crypto key erase features to guarantee comprehensive data sanitization. NDW employs these advanced techniques to eliminate any traces of sensitive information on storage devices, enhancing data security significantly. This is especially critical in environments where data confidentiality is paramount, as it mitigates the risk of data breaches or unauthorized access. NDW's automated and systematic approach ensures a high level of data protection while streamlining the data wiping process for efficiency and reliability.
Storage Device Crypto Key Erase
Crypto Key Erase: Many modern storage devices employ encryption to safeguard data. Erasing crypto keys makes encrypted data unreadable, effectively rendering it inaccessible, even if someone gains physical access to the device.
How can NDW - Network Data Wiping software help with data security and data wiping for educational institutions?
NDW - Network Data Wiping software is an automated, unattended and network-based solution for erasing and removing data from HDDs and storage devices. This software offers comprehensive reporting through a web GUI, making it a convenient and efficient tool for data wiping in network environments.
NDW - Network Data Wiping software can help with data security and data wiping for educational institutions by:
- Enabling users to securely erase data from multiple HDDs or storage devices simultaneously over a local area network (LAN) using a server machine.
- Supporting various standards and methods of data wiping, such as DoD 5220.22-M, NIST 800-88, Gutmann or random overwrite, which ensure that the erased data cannot be recovered by any means.
- Providing detailed reports that document the process and outcome of each data wiping operation, including information such as device name, serial number, model number, capacity, start time, end time, wipe method used etc. These reports can be used as verifiable evidence of data destruction certificates that comply with the legal requirements.
- Saving time, money and resources by eliminating the need for manual intervention, physical removal, transportation, disposal or replacement of HDDs or storage devices.
- Improving the environmental sustainability by reducing the electronic waste and carbon footprint generated by HDDs or storage devices.
Friendly and Easy to use Web GUI, Graphical User Interface
For optimal operation of any software solution user interface always plays a vital role. GUI should be easily accessible as well as easy to navigate and operate. Therefore, NDW - Automated Network Data Wiping software solution's Graphical User Interface is designed exactly keeping these requirements in mind. NDW UI is web based which can be accessed from Mobile, Tablet, Laptop or Desktop computer system.
GUI contains several dashboards where you can navigate and view the entire data wiping warehouse operation. You have access to each and every metric of large scale operation. You can view how many systems are wiping data and from how many HDDs in real-time. All dashboards display real-time and live information. These dashboards can be customized as per customer demand. Let us know if you have something in mind and what to introduce new feature or new dashboard.
Automated Self Adhesive barcode label generation and printing
Keeping track of each and every data wipe, erasure and associated data storage device throughout it's cycle is very important. Therefore NDW - Automated Network Data Wiping software solution is developed to print self adhesive thermal barcode labels automatically which can then be attached to each data storage device. Data wiping as well as label generation and printing is fully automated, there is no human intervention required other than peeling off the adhesive label and attaching to the wiped hard disk drive. Each label has HDD's identity information such as HDD size, model family, model number, firmware, erase date, algorithm used to wipe, bad sectors if any, erase status, final results, 2d barcode and grade awarded by NDW. These labels are highly customizable, more information can be added or removed. Design and look of the label can also be modified per customer requirements.
Data security and data wiping are crucial for educational institutions to protect their data from cyber threats and comply with the legal obligations. However, data security and data wiping also present various challenges for educational institutions, such as the complexity of the IT infrastructure, the diversity of the users, the dynamic of the cyber attacks, the limited resources and the lack of awareness. NDW - Network Data Wiping software is a network-based solution that can help educational institutions to securely erase data from HDDs and storage devices over a LAN. NDW - Network Data Wiping software offers various benefits, such as supporting different standards and methods of data wiping, providing comprehensive reports and certificates of data destruction, saving time, money and resources, and improving the environmental sustainability. Therefore, educational institutions should use NDW - Network Data Wiping software to enhance their data security and data wiping practices.
Industries and Organizations we serve
Customers we have proudly served
I want to know more
We understand you may want to know more and may have queries. We would love to hear from you. Our technical staff is eager to help you. Contact us today with your query and we promise to assist as best as we can.
