Old Dominion University

Information Technology Procedure

06.4.1 Hardware Disposal

Date of Current Revision or Creation:

Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to define the process of disposal of data from computers and computer equipment storage media, specifically information on hard drives. The intent is to ensure that all sensitive data, proprietary data, licensed software, etc. resident on surplus equipment is destroyed. Such purposeful data destruction procedure shall be in place to protect the University.

Property Control policy requires the Budget Unit Director to certify that data on hard drives has been removed or cleaned to meet State requirements.

Definitions

Procedure

The directive to surplus a machine is initiated by the Assistant Director for a work group. The person assigned the machine at their own workstation is responsible for completing the Property Control Equipment Turn In Form. In addition, it is their responsibility to clean the workstation's hard drive of any sensitive and/or proprietary data and software which belongs to the University or could reflect the business of the University.

All licensed software must be removed for the workstation.

Staff person must fill out the Property Control Form with Serial Number, Property Control number and appropriate description and condition information.

Staff cannot cannibalize equipment of peripheral parts, computer memory, etc., without the direct permission of the Assistant Director for the work group.

Staff person should place the machine in to the Operations area for staging and final removal to Property Control.

Operations staff will ask the staff member if the machine has been cleaned of sensitive information.

For those staff members who cannot/do not clean information from the machine, Operations staff has a data destruction disk (Software Name: G-Disk / Source: PC Lan Group) that can be inserted into the machine and upon restart, the machine will execute a program to clean the disks.

Operations staff will then review the Property Control form information to ensure that serial numbers and property control tag numbers are correctly listed.

Operations staff will then deliver the items to Property Control and have the document signed for by the Property Control office as proof of receipt.

The Property Control form will be filed in Operations for later reference.

Related Policies & Standards

Previous Revisions