University computer workstations and servers are used with an increased frequency for the storage and transfer of confidential and potentially sensitive data, such as social security numbers, financial information, medical information, research results, and personnel evaluations. The University’s Data Classification Policy is located within the IT Policy at http://www.rochester.edu/it/policy/.  In response, the University Computer and Cathode Ray Tube Disposal policy (http://www.facilities.rochester.edu/cu/BlueLearnerGuide.doc#) has recently been revised to include the following:

Any area wishing to dispose of a computer (or other data storage equipment) must ensure that the data has been destroyed in compliance with applicable standards and regulations prior to offering the equipment for disposal.

The disposal of old workstations and servers must be managed so that all of the information once stored there is completely eliminated.  Simple hard disk(s) formats are insufficient, as someone with even a limited amount of technical knowledge can recover that data with the right tools.

University IT recommends that all workstation and server hard disks be processed by specialized software that destroys the data according to the Department of Defense (DOD) specifications before they are recycled, given or sold to others.  There is never any guarantee that the data will be completely unrecoverable, but the DOD specifications are quite thorough.

We recommend the following disk cleaning software: