Computer Input And Output Devices

Generally, you do not think of your computer's input and output devices like monitors, keyboards, and printers as storing your information and generally you would be right. None the less, they may hold valuable secrets and you should not over look them as part of a thorough search. For example, a monitor could have a burned in image of some picture commonly left on the screen.

 When you leave a single unmoving image on some older computer monitors for a long time, the image can actually burn itself into the screen. While you do not see this often on the newer monitors that are available on the market, but it can really still happen. Keyboards generally do not store information, but some unusual keyboards do contain a disk drive. Although, a keyboard is unlikely to bear fruit, do not over look it. Laser printers too can hold some interesting and unexpected secrets as well.

Let us start with the low tech here. Is there is a paper jam that is holding any thing interesting? More high tech is that an expert may be able to duplicate the image of the last printed page. This one is probably only feasible in a criminal case where you can seize the printer without warning, but be careful here. This must be done before you move the printer. Although it is not well known and is usually over looked, be aware that some printers have their own hard drives.

 Printers use these hard drives to store images before they print. An expert could search the hard drive for information sent to, and stored by, that printer. Hand helds and cell phones could also provide you with a wealth of information. These devices are easy to over look by a company when implementing a data protection strategy, and they have internal memory that could contain valuable secrets. Also, do not forget all of those external and removable storage devices that you may have floating around.

These devices include external hard drives, memory sticks, USB flash drives, and memory cards, and they might contain a wealth of information other security procedures have missed. Finding them all might involve more of a physical search, but may prove worth the effort. Should you wish to dispose, redeploy, or recycle obsolete computers, there are a wide range of disposal services that are able to easily cater to your requirements. In addition to performing a successful hard drive erase, these services will ensure that your computer and computer equipment is disposed of in strict accordance with the laws and regulations as set out by the Environmental Protection Agency.

 The hard drive erase carried out by these disposal services will ensure that your hard drive is completely sanitized, and in cases where the hard drives are not salvageable, they will be destroyed. After the hard drive erase is carried out, all asset tags will be removed during this procedure to ensure that the original owner of the computers remain unidentified.

Worthless components within the obsolete computers are then discarded in strict accord with all Federal, as well as State environmental laws. These outdated computer equipment will under gone a successful computer disposal operation and its hard drive will be erased.