As long as the hardware still exists, the sensitive data on it is at risk for misuse. Failing to include old computer hard drives, retired servers, unused flash drives, external hard drives, and outdated mobile devices in your information security strategies increases the risk of a security breach, which could lead to major financial, reputation, and compliance ramifications. Unfortunately, not all companies consider hard drive and other technology destruction in their security plans. According to our 2020 Data Protection Report, nearly half of small business owners don’t have a policy for disposing of confidential information on end-of-life electronic devices. Physical destruction of hard drive, SSD and magnetic media is the key to rendering it unreadable and preventing any overwriting.