DATA DISPOSAL
All MSU employees have the legal and ethical responsibility to protect the privacy and confidentiality of institutional data. All hardware owned and operated by Michigan State University must be properly sanitized and disposed. HIT supported hardware should come back to HIT for proper disposal.
Best practices:
-
Before disposing of storage devices, retain any copies of institutional data as required by federal or state law, contract, or MSU policy.
-
Understand that deletion is not the same as destruction.
-
Once no longer needed, computer equipment may either be reassigned or sent to MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center for disposal.
-
Some storage media cannot be sanitized and must be physically destroyed.
-
If a storage device contains particularly sensitive confidential information, it may be better to simply destroy the device rather than sanitize the drive.
-
Prevent the accidental disposal of devices by never storing confidential data on a portable device, including laptops, tablets, and USB drives.
Please click here for details.