Data protection beyond the life cycle

Companies are increasingly turning to cloud storage and enterprise file sync and share services (EFSS services) to share documents. This is also because such services can be used across all end devices: from company PCs and laptops to smartphones and tablets.

IT remarketing companies such as Sims Lifecycle Services from Mainz-Gustavsburg are also winners from outsourcing to the cloud, firstly because a new customer group is forming - providers of such services and operators of corresponding data centers - and secondly because the focus is shifting to data protection and security.

The latter becomes clear when you consider that company data is no longer only stored on their own servers or computers, but also on mobile devices and, above all, on the servers of EFSS providers.

The security standards that protect against access by third parties are correspondingly high. But what happens to the stored information when those servers are replaced? Will the data on them be reliably deleted? Or is a company ultimately taking a risk by opting for such a service?

"It is important to sensitize the relevant providers to the issue. Especially if it is a foreign provider that may have to comply with less strict data protection regulations than in Germany"

says Bernhard Stölzle, Managing Director of Sims Lifecycle Services.

"This makes it all the more important for EFSS providers and other companies to have a reliable partner at their side who supports the hardware throughout its entire life cycle"

continued Stölzle.

IT remarketing: how does it work?

What does such support look like - especially in the final phase of the device? Sims Lifecycle Services, for example, dismantles obsolete hardware such as PCs, servers and copiers at the customer's premises and transports them to its own site in a data-secure manner. As one of the first IT remarketers in Germany, the Mainz-based company also offers its services for

smartphones and tablets. The devices are first inventoried and then undergo an extensive test procedure. Employees check all components and replace any defective parts.

Depending on the condition of the hardware, the devices are checked for remarketability and fed into the second life cycle via our own sales platforms.

For smartphones and tablets up to three years old, the rate here is 80%. If remarketing is not possible, Sims Lifecycle Services passes the devices on to the Group company Sims Recycling Solutions after deleting the data they contain, which recycles the devices and sends them for raw material recovery.

This ensures environmentally friendly disposal.

"We not only offer companies an opportunity to refinance, but also help them to operate in a resource-efficient manner"

says Bernhard Stölzle.

Sims deletes data using the certified Blancco 5 deletion software. The customer can decide on the level of security of the deletion method.

For example, deletion is possible in accordance with the DoD standard (Department of Defense, USA) or BSI basic protection. Each individual sector of a data carrier is overwritten several times with ones and zeros according to a specific algorithm.

In accordance with legal requirements, only employees who are bound to confidentiality are deployed for the deletion. On request, data can also be deleted directly at the customer's premises if confidential data is not allowed to leave the company premises.

Moving with the times

So if companies and EFSS service providers use such and comparable offerings, the risk of third parties accessing sensitive data when using cloud services can undoubtedly be minimized.

If a company wants to move with the times, cloud applications and software as a service will continue to gain relevance - and not just because they represent a cost-effective alternative to previous models. The important thing is to think about this in advance and look for a consistent solution.