{"id":7579,"date":"2020-10-08T10:45:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T14:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/?page_id=7579"},"modified":"2020-10-08T10:45:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T14:45:42","slug":"itad-blog-remote-employees-and-data-security-a-cautionary-tale","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.itadsummit.com\/index.php\/itad-blog-remote-employees-and-data-security-a-cautionary-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"ITAD Blog: REMOTE EMPLOYEES AND DATA SECURITY: A CAUTIONARY TALE"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\tITAD Blog\n\t<\/h1>\n

\n\t\tREMOTE EMPLOYEES AND DATA SECURITY: A CAUTIONARY TALE\n\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Remote1\"\n\t

ITAD Blog<\/h1>\n

REMOTE EMPLOYEE AND DATA SECURITY: A CAUTIONARY TALE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\t

A major investment bank and financial services company recently became the target of multiple lawsuits filed by clients for possible data breaches stemming from the improper handling of decommissioned computer equipment at the firm\u2019s branch offices.<\/p>\n

This type of nightmare scenario can happen to virtually any type or size of businesses, even large multinational corporations with well-staffed IT departments. Throw in a pandemic, driving the migration of employees to a work-from-home model, and I fear the risk has increased significantly.<\/p>\n

Think about it. IT departments, accustomed to functioning in a highly controlled, centralized manner, now must manage laptops and other devices at hundreds or even thousands of remote locations. So, what happens when those devices need to be decommissioned? And how does a company safeguard sensitive data on those devices, especially while in transit?<\/p>\n

As reported in an industry trade journal, the financial institution mentioned above trusted an IT asset disposition (ITAD) vendor to scrub data from the decommissioned devices. You would think a company specializing in ITAD would be extra vigilant in the handling of hardware with sensitive data, particularly at a time when data security has received so much attention.<\/p>\n

In fact, doing ITAD right is inherently difficult \u2014 and the challenges are compounded when employees and their devices are widely dispersed, as they certainly are with today\u2019s work-from-home model. Clearly, it\u2019s more important than ever to choose a partner that possesses a proven track record with remote IT hardware services (RITHS). Criteria used in the vendor evaluation process should include:<\/p>\n