Patent Publication Number: US-9430654-B1

Title: Process of destroying data on units within an organization when they are not functioning or no longer in use

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (IF ANY) 
     None 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a system to protect data more particularly either destroying the device on which the data is stored or overwriting the data using the DOD  3  pass standard. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Data breaches from lost or stolen media are one source of large-scale data compromises. The average cost of a data breach is $5.4 million for 2013. One exposed hard drive from a company could cost $3,500,000 per record. Yet there is no set procedure for protecting this data when a hard drive or similar storage device needs to be replaced or destroyed. 62 data breaches were reported in 2013 that involved over 55.2 million records. 
     One of the leading causes of large-scale data breaches is lost or stolen media. It is estimated that 800,000 plus portable media are lost or stolen each year which includes USB, hard drives, data tape and CD/DVDs. 69% of these contained sensitive or protected information. 
     Many organizations fail to identify and track the data bearing units and if they do, it is not done electronically and with oversight. These failures result in missing devices and data and therefore data comprises. 
     Small and large organizations have stopped using layers of security involving individuals from multiple areas that would require large scale manipulation to successfully get away with taking a unit that currently holds data. 
     The unit that currently holds data or at one time held data fails due to the design or from malfunctioning components or the unit needs replaced for other reasons. It creates a problem to the organization that has the unit to keep the data from breaches, which can damage their corporate brands, and exposing them to legal risk and financial loss. 
     Currently their process of detecting and processing the unit that holds data or at one time held data are not within compliance of many regulations. This includes not knowing the serial number of data bearing device before its failure, not tracking the device at all, removing the device and then laying it around unsecured, taking devices with data outside the secure area for processing, using just one technician to conduct a critical data center procedure, no training certification, no reconciliation method to search for discrepancies, and no means for management oversight. So these other methods are not a complete and comprehensive solution, and do not meet the ISO 27001 standards. 
     There is still room for improvement in the art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a system where the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data fails due to the design or from malfunctioning components or the unit needs replaced for other reasons. It creates a problem to the organization that has the unit to keep the data from breaches, which can damage their corporate brands, and exposing them to legal risk and financial loss. The invention claimed here solves this problem. 
     The current invention involves an external certification that verifies that the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data has the data destroyed. This invention requires a secured database to hold information from the organization and from the company to prove that the units that currently hold data or at one time held data has the data destroyed. This invention requires a unique identification tag or other identification means to label the unit and to correlate with unit&#39;s information. The invention requires a secure container to hold the unit after identification. 
     The invention allows the organization to track the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data and then destroys the data to protect from data breaches. The system would have a machine that would automatically remove data from a unit. 
     The process is more efficient, effective, accurate and functional than the current art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Without restricting the full scope of this invention, the preferred form of this invention is illustrated in the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows an overview of how Users access the system; and 
         FIG. 2  shows an Overview of the process; 
         FIG. 3  shows Risk Management and Implementation; 
         FIG. 4  shows training; 
         FIG. 5  displays the data center; 
         FIG. 6  displays the data center; 
         FIG. 7  shows destruction; 
         FIG. 8  displays asset retirement; 
         FIG. 9  displays Risk management and Compliance; 
         FIG. 10  shows devices that invention is used with; 
         FIG. 11  displays Steps  1  audit trail and Step  2  Containment; 
         FIG. 12  displays Steps  3  scheduling and Step  4  Reconciliation; and 
         FIG. 13  shows Steps  5  Data Destruction, Step  6  Certificate and Step  7  Shred and Recycle. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     There are a number of significant design features and improvements incorporated within the invention. 
     The present invention relates to a company having external certification that verifies that the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data has the data destroyed. This invention requires a certified secured database  310  to hold information from the organization and from the company to prove that the units that currently hold data or at one time held data has the data destroyed. This invention provides a unique identification to label an organization&#39;s device or unit and to correlate with information provided by the organization. The invention has a secure container to hold the unit after identification. 
     The process uses specialty and propriety software to access a data-holding unit to determine the point of failure. The invention uses secure containment devices  40  to hold devices and units that are to have their data removed or destroyed. 
       FIG. 1  displays an embodiment of a system architecture  101  that can be used with the current invention. The system  101  is accessed from a user&#39;s computing device  10 . A computing device  10  that can access the system  101  can be some version of a CPU, CPU memory, local hard disk, keyboard and display unit. A printer or multiple printers may also be included but are not required. The computing device  10  can be any desktop, laptop, tablet, smart phone or general purpose computing device with an appropriate amount of memory suitable for this purpose and an active connection to the TechR2 system  101 . A reading mechanism  15  for reading bar codes or PID or other ID tag such as Radio Frequency ID (RFID) is attached to the computing device. Computing devices like this are well known in the art and are not pertinent to the invention. 
     The system  101  software and database  310  reside in the system&#39;s local or remote server architecture  100 . The system  101  uses one or more memory means such as a standard hard drive or any other standard memory. The databases  30  are stored in the system memory means and the platform  101  changes the system&#39;s memory as it operates. The system can be written in a number of different programming languages and run on a number of different operating systems, database formats and platforms. 
     As stated above, the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data fails due to the design or from malfunctioning components. Or the unit needs replaced for other reasons. It creates a problem to the organization that has the unit to keep the data from breaches, which can damage their corporate brands, and exposing legal risk and financial loss. The invention claimed here solves this problem. 
     The invention allows the organization to track the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data and then destroys the data to protect from data breaches. 
       FIG. 2  shows an Overview of the process. This includes Risk management which identifies the data at risk as shown in  FIG. 3 . Implementation where a plan is developed to identify the devices that need to be destroyed as show in  FIG. 3 . Training is where the employees of a company are trained in  FIG. 4 . The data center where a real time inventory of all the devices are taken and the failed device or devices to be destroyed are deposited into the secure container as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The selected devices are destroyed as shown in  FIG. 7 . The devices that do not contain sensitive data are recycled and reclaim by depositing then in a recycle container as shown in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 9  displays Risk management and Compliance with periodic checkups. 
     The invention is designed to be used with memory devices or units that may contain sensitive data. These devices include but are not limited to failed hard drives  20  from a data center  31 , data drives  21 , data tapes  22 , cell phones  23 , mobile devices  24  and CDs/DVDs  25  as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     The organization determines that a device or unit has reached its end of life. The data on the device or unit that is no longer attached to the organization&#39;s network system, if compromised can harm their brand, and harm their customer. As shown in  FIG. 11 , to ensure tractability and that the device is actually destroyed with the data on it an electronic audit trail is created as the first step with a portal application. For the highest level of security, a tracking means such as a bar code  33  or a PID-sticker  31  or another such tagging method such as Radio Frequency ID (RFID) is place on the device and registered through a portal application using the appropriate reading mechanism  15  such as a bar code or RFID reader/writer. The data recorded by the reading mechanism  15  includes the unique ID code number, the serial number of the device and which server the device or unit was from if it is from a server. The portal application also records time stamps when the device or units come out of service and when it was put into containment. The portal application may also record the identifying data that is captured on the device. This creates an online audit trail and inventory of all the devices as they are placed into the process. The portal application is designed to run on a computing device  10  such as a PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone. 
     After the first step of being recorded through the audit and recording process the next step is containment where the device is placed into a secure container  40  as shown in  FIG. 11 . The secure container  40  has an input opening  41  where the device or unit is placed. In the preferred embodiment, the secure container  40  is locked and in the preferred embodiment is not accessible to the employees of the business. 
     Step  3  is scheduling as shown in  FIG. 12 , involve setting up a time to process the devices or units in the secure container  40  to destroy the devices or units and the data on them based on either a set time or when the secure container  40  is full. This can be done at the site which is normally a data center or have the secured container  40  taken to another location within the secure facility for processing. 
     Step  4 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , is the important step of reconciliation. The secure container  40  is unlocked. The devices or units are scanned using the appropriate scanning method. This information will be compared to the audit trail created in step  1  using a computing device  10  to find any discrepancies. Any discrepancies found will be addressed and reconciled. 
     Step  5 , is the data destruction step, as shown in  FIG. 13 , where the devices or units such as failed hard drives  20  from a data center  31 , data drives  21 , data tapes  22 , CDs/DVDs have their data in their electronic data storage completely and fully erased with an erasing means such as a certified Degausser. Solid state devices are wiped with specialized software. Units that cannot wiped are shredded and/or crushed to industry standards so the data cannot be read by any means known. This step insures that none of the sensitive or secure data can be disclosed and is completely destroyed. In the preferred embodiment, these critical steps are completed by two trained technicians which meet the ISO security standards. 
     Step  6  is the Certificate step as shown in  FIG. 13 , where the system produces an online report which is signed off on by the company and generates a certificate of destruction with liability indemnification upon the completion. 
     Step  7  is the shred and recycle step shown in  FIG. 13 . In this step the devices are destroyed using state-of-the-art secure destruction either on site or at another site such as a third party&#39;s secure location. In this step in the preferred embodiment, a new person identifies the device again and physically destroys it. At this point four people have processed the data bearing device. The customer, the two people processing it at the data center and lastly the person destroying the device. This creates multiple layers of security that is very difficult to defeat and would result in a lost or compromised data bearing unit. In the preferred embodiment, this is done based on environmental recycling to EPA requirements. The devices or units can be shredded using a shredding means  60 . 
     Steps  1  audit trail and  4  reconciliation are security management steps. Steps  2  containment,  5  data destruction and  7  shred and recycle are technical/physical security steps. Step  6  certificate is a physical security step. 
     So it is important to state this process can happen anywhere. For instance, a person can remove their data bearing device from a computer or server and then apply the ID sticker to it and then deposit the unit in a secure container  40 . This container  40  can be in a data center or any business location. In alternate embodiment, in some cases, organizations can choose to tag and track the devices from integration into their system until data bearing device destruction. In the current art, users many times remove the data bearing device to their truck that have a shredder where it can be stolen, in the preferred embodiment the process never brings the data bearing device into the public. 
     The person would have to obtain multiple worldwide industry ISO standards that certify their processes. The current invention is a system that allows users and certified security personnel to input and inspect information about the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data. It is a process to uniquely identify the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data. The system secures the device or unit that currently holds data or at one time held data until the data or the unit is destroyed. It provides an audit trail that will follow the device or unit and the removal of data from the unit that currently holds data or at one time held data. A person would have to have the resources to examine and follow the audit trail. 
     Advantages 
     By following the process in the current invention, an organization or company can be highly satisfied that the unit that is holding secure data or at one time held data has been cleaned. This alleviates the potential problem of damaging their brand due to secure data becoming available on the global network, which saves the organization time and effort in marketing and answering claims in the legal system regarding data breaches. 
     Additionally: Any organization that wants to securely remove not only digital information, but also destroy mechanical information such as a shape and size of a design would want to use a secure system as described to ascertain that the data no longer exists. Therefore, the process would protect the organization from compromise, which would save them from spending time and resources to counteract the loss. 
     Conclusion 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the point and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. The system is not limited to any particular programming language, computer platform or architecture. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.