Out of Use destroys data of UZ GENT

Nowadays healthcare institutions manage vast amounts of data that needs to be kept in the greatest security. Data security or safety is a matter of its correct, safe use, but it also means managing the equipment and data that are no longer actively used. What do you do with old hardware and what safety level do you choose for destruction? How can you be sure of the deletion of your business information? The company Out of Use guarantees 100% safe and certified data destruction. One of their customers is Ghent University Hospital, which recently had a huge quantity of old hardware destroyed.

Under the GDPR privacy laws, companies must ensure the secure and total destruction of staff and customer records. The recent legislation imposes strict penalties and heavy fines for non-compliance. If you want to be 100% sure that your data will not fall into the wrong hands, you can rely on Out of Use. In compliance with the GDPR, Out of Use acts as the processor for your data destruction. Every customer receives a binding contract (SLA – Service Level Agreement) clearly describing the division of responsibilities between the customer’s DPO (Data Protection Officer) and Out Of Use as data processor.

Different methods of data destruction
“We’re an environmental company, so reuse comes first for us,” says Mark Adriaenssens, CEO of Out Of Use. “We try as much as possible to give IT equipment a second life, but it’s the customer who decides. There are various methods of deleting data from the hardware,” he continues. “We have special software for data wiping. After wiping, the equipment is thoroughly tested, cleaned and anonymised that there is never any trace of the original user. We can also demagnetise hard disks so that there are simply no ones and zeros left. And we have our own shredder installation that can grind into coarse or very fine granules in accordance with the DIN66399 standard. Exceptionally cautious customers even ask for hard drives to be randomly overwritten seven times, read back 25 per cent as a check, then have them crushed and the granules burned. We provide a certificate of destruction, mentioning the serial numbers of the destroyed equipment.”

Data security at Ghent University Hospital
Out Of Use recently concluded a multi-annual contract with Ghent University Hospital, UZ Gent. “When we drew up the award criteria for the public tender, we deliberately paid a great deal of attention to data security,” explains Veronique De Boever, purchaser at UZ Gent. "Because we wanted to exclude all the risks, we opted for data destruction on our own site. The hard disks are crushed by the shredder into tiny fragments measuring no more than 300 square millimetres. The destruction certificate always gives us valid proof that the data has been destroyed. As a recognised recycling business, Out Of Use also ensures the proper recycling of our hardware in accordance with the WEEE directive 2012/19/EU and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC.”

(Source: Zorg Magazine, 30/06/20)