Unistar Technologies Blog

How HIPAA Regulations Affect Your Old IT Equipment

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 15:52:58 GMT

How HIPAA Regulations Affect Your Old IT Equipment

How HIPAA Regulations Affect Your Old IT

Working or operating in the medical field requires heightened attention to privacy concerns—medical records are possibly the most sensitive type of data and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulates patient data at all stages of your business’ lifecycle. This becomes a primary concern when it becomes time to replace outdated hardware with new technology—how do you properly wipe your machines clean so that you are HIPAA compliant?

In this blog, we'll outline how HIPAA regulations affect your old IT.

Asset Disposition and HIPAA

HIPAA covers all PHI (protected health information) on any device you have that stores data, including computers, laptops, DVDs, tablets, mobile phones, and any portable storage devices. This means that your company is solely entrusted with the proper storage, and disposal of, any PHI.

When it comes time to decommission old devices, it's important to understand the types of data wiping that are available to you. We recommend that you partner with a trusted IT Asset Disposition company, and not try to wipe/destroy any of the equipment yourself.

There are three ways to clear data from your hardware to be HIPAA compliant:

• Wipe all data from the device using software so that it is destroyed and irretrievable; or
• Utilize external equipment to wipe a device clean so that the data is destroyed and irretrievable; or
• Physically destroy the hardware so that the data is destroyed and irretrievable.

The most important thing to remember when decommissioning your equipment that housed any PHI under HIPAA regulations is that there is no way for data to be recovered—no trace of the data can remain.

HIPAA Regulations Can Incur Fines

The most significant reason why we encourage you to partner with an Asset Disposition company when you're decommissioning any hardware is that failing to wipe PHI from a device can result in hefty fines from the federal government—up to 1.5 million dollars per incident.

The right IT Asset Disposition company will walk you through their process from start to finish and be able to answer any questions you might have regarding their HIPAA compliance.

Additionally, a HIPAA compliant Disposition partner will know which equipment you’re able to sell to a third party to recoup some of the investment cost in the equipment.

HIPAA, Asset Disposition, and Going Green

The right IT Asset Disposition partner will walk you through which hardware that will need to be physically destroyed and ensure that the scraps don’t end up in a landfill but are recycled. Not only does that keep within HIPAA regulations, but it’s good for the environment, too.

Don’t Risk It With HIPAA

With PHI comes HIPAA compliance and sanctions if the data is not entirely protected during the disposition process. Rather than try to understand the proper methods of disposal yourself, partner with an expert who can mitigate your risk and recoup some money back in the process for your organization.

If you’d like to talk to one of our disposition experts at Unistar Technologies, you can contact us at either info@unistartechnologies.com or 678-393-3160.

Could IT Asset Disposition Save Your Company Money?

dave@unistartechnologies.com (Dave Russell) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 22:40:21 GMT

Could IT Asset Disposition Save Your Company Money?

Technology improves at a lightning-fast pace, and upgrading your organization’s IT infrastructure is inevitable, whether due to industry regulations or the desire to work on newer and improved equipment. These upgrades can be costly, but they don’t have to be. Have you considered engaging with an IT Asset Disposition partner to save your company money, and ensure compliance with disposal of your outdated equipment and hardware?

In this blog, we’ll explain what IT Asset Disposition is, and how it can help your bottom line.

What is IT Asset Disposition?

IT Asset Disposition is the process of disposing of outdated, or unwanted IT equipment in a safe and “green” way. In many cases, your old IT can be repurposed for another organization or use—which means you can hire an IT Asset Disposition partner, like Unistar Technologies, to come in and buy all your unwanted equipment from your organization for an agreed upon price. In those instances, the IT Asset Disposition partner will wipe all of your sensitive data from the equipment, ensuring the privacy of your organization’s data before they sell it.

Going green is a commitment for many organizations, and recycling your outdated technology is a great, effective way to stay within your organizational goals. With IT Asset Disposition, every opportunity to recycle your old tech is taken, ensuring a friendlier approach to the environment.

Why Partner with an IT Asset Disposition Company?

In addition to helping you recycle your outdated tech, in many cases, there are fees associated with disposing of your used equipment. When you partner with an IT Asset Disposition company, you can expect them to do the following for your organization:

• Ensure that storage devices are securely wiped, protecting your organization’s sensitive data.
• Guarantee that ecologically-sensitive materials are disposed of properly to ensure your business doesn’t face fines.
• Limiting environmental fees for disposing of outdated IT—since most of your old IT will be repurposed, it will limit the amount of disposal fees your company will incur.

When looking to partner with an IT Asset Disposition company, it’s important to understand their security measures put in place for wiping your data—and the pricing they give you for your old IT. Reputable partners will be able to break down the prices they buy your equipment at and walk you through their data protection process. Not all IT Asset Disposition companies are created equal, so it’s important to partner with one who has industry experience you can trust.

How Will IT Asset Disposition Save Me Money?

Very simply, an IT Asset Disposition partner will save you money in two ways:

1) They will pay you for your old IT that needs to be replaced, ensuring you recoup some of the money you initially spent on it.
2) They limit your company’s exposure to disposal fees, since you’re selling your IT rather than junking it.

Ready to Save?

If you need to upgrade your IT infrastructure, and are ready to save your company money in the process, contact Unistar Technologies to discuss your needs. We’re here to help walk you through the process, explain how we keep your data secure, and answer any questions you might have.

You can reach us at 678-393-3160 or info@unistartechnologies.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

What You Need to Know in 2019 for IT Asset Disposition

dave@unistartechnologies.com (Dave Russell) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 16:01:49 GMT

What You Need to Know in 2019 for IT Asset Disposition

With a new year typically comes new regulations, and we’re here to share everything you need to know about any changes to the rules for IT Asset Disposition in 2019, and what you can expect for the year ahead.

The good news is that there hasn’t been sweeping legislation at the federal level that will affect your business and its bottom line, but there are still things to look out for this year and beyond. Read on to find out more.

E-Waste

Technology advances (and becomes obsolete) at a rapid pace and you may find yourself with excess e-waste in the coming year. E-waste is electronic equipment that is no longer useful. As you upgrade or retire certain machines, they become e-waste. Not only does e-waste take up valuable physical space within your organization, but it can also be a potential security threat. Many e-waste machines have not been thoroughly wiped of all your sensitive data, and disposing of them improperly may open your company up to external risks by accidentally letting your data fall into the wrong hands.
Each state and even municipality or county can have their own unique rules towards the disposal of e-waste. Before deciding how to dispose of yours in 2019, make sure you understand the regulations specific to your area, or partner with an IT Asset Disposition company who can dispose of the e-waste for you.

Heightened Awareness of Data Protection

Last summer, the state legislature in California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act, which extended broad rights to Californians, and which will go live in 2020. Once that happens, expect other states to follow suit.

How does this affect you in 2019? We believe it’s better to be safe than sorry, so if you plan to decommission any hardware this year, we strongly recommend you partner with a company that clearly understands data sanitization best practices. The reasoning behind this is that when it comes to safeguarding your organization’s data, both internally and externally, you can never be too cautious. An IT Asset Disposition company that is knowledgeable in the best practices towards Data Sanitization will be able to appropriately decommission any of your tech, completely wipe it clean of all data; and from their either resell, recycle, or destroy the equipment. Ensuring your organization’s security at all times, and possibly recoup some of your financial investment of the tech in the process.

The Importance of Going Green

Expect heightened attention around going green—as tech hardware rapidly advances, so too does previous iterations of tech become obsolete at an increasing pace. While critical to your business' operations, the impact of outdated tech taking up space in our landfills and recycling centers is undeniable.

Rather than find new ways to dispose of e-waste, many companies are investing into better ways to recycle the physical parts into new components. This means that you could expect to recycle more e-waste than you have in the past, with the aim to lessen the impact on the environment and stem the rush of outdated tech ending up in the garbage pile.

Partner with an Organization You Can Trust

While it is possible to stay abreast of the changes affecting the recycling and replacement of your tech this year, we strongly recommend that you partner with an IT Asset Disposition company you can trust. They can help you strategize the best way to dispose of unneeded or outdated tech, and ensure that not only are you within your local ordinance's compliance, but also minimize the impact on the environment as well. Finally, a partner will be able to help you get the best value on the resale of your equipment.

For more information, or to discuss your organization’s IT Asset Disposition needs, contact us at 678-393-3160 or info@unistartechnologies.com.

The Importance of Data Sanitization

dave@unistartechnologies.com (Dave Russell) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 15:35:28 GMT

The Importance of Data Sanitization

The Importance of Data Sanitization

When deciding on an IT Asset Disposition partner, one of the most important things to consider is their policy towards Data Sanitization. Ensuring your data is protected at all times is of the utmost importance, and Data Sanitization is one of the most significant components of its safety when decommissioning old technology.

In this blog, we’re going to explain what Data Sanitization is, why it’s important, and how we handle it at Unistar Technologies.

Read on and find out more.

What is Data Sanitization?

Data Sanitization is the process of purposefully and permanently wiping or terminating any data stored on a technology device. When done correctly, it is an irreversible process. That means that advanced technology will not be able to retrieve any trace of the data on the hardware, ensuring your organization’s privacy at all times.

Sanitization processes can include utilizing software that eradicates data, an external hardware device which connects to the decommissioned device being sanitized and wipes the data, or a mechanism that destroys the device physically, so its data cannot be retrieved. In most instances, an IT Asset Disposition partner will utilize a combination of the three, to maintain your data's security, while ensuring resale value on some of your outdated assets.

Why is Data Sanitization Important?

Data Sanitization is crucial because ultimately it protects sensitive data from leaving your organization. When you partner with an IT Asset Disposition company, part of the benefit of the partnership is the ability to resell your outdated tech to offset any additional costs, like new tech coming in. That means that your used equipment will be going to a buyer—and it's imperative that none of your data goes with it.

Many industries come with heightened regulations as to the proper disposal of their data, including the medical field and government contractors, with specific industry guidelines issued for data disposal. Failing to do so could result in fines, so it's vital that data is safely destroyed, with no trace of it left, when decommissioning any tech.

Data Sanitization is essential because it protects your company's data and mitigates your risk in disposing of unwanted assets because it ensures data compliance and security at all times.

How Does Unistar Technologies Handle Data Sanitization?

When you partner with Unistar Technologies, you’re partnering with a company that has decades’ worth of experience in Data Sanitization. We’re compliant with the Department of Defense (DoD) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and maintain DoD 5220.22 and NIST 800-88 standards throughout all of our projects and procedures. We perform DoD overwrites for all items, specific to their security requirements, and follow the NIST standardization guides when determining the sanitization technique for each asset.

All assets that go through a physical destruction process are recycled and never disposed of in landfills, ensuring multiple steps of safety at any given point in the Data Sanitization process.

At Unistar Technologies, we know that Data Sanitization is a vital component of the IT Asset Disposition process, and we’re happy to answer any questions you might have.

Contact us at info@unistartechnologies.com we’re here to help.

Could IT Asset Disposition Save Your Company Money?

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:56:06 GMT

Could IT Asset Disposition Save Your Company Money?

Could IT Asset Disposition Save Your Company Money?

Technology improves at a lightning-fast pace, and upgrading your organization’s IT infrastructure is inevitable, whether due to industry regulations or the desire to work on newer and improved equipment. These upgrades can be costly, but they don’t have to be. Have you considered engaging with an IT Asset Disposition partner to save your company money, and ensure compliance with disposal of your outdated equipment and hardware?

In this blog, we’ll explain what IT Asset Disposition is, and how it can help your bottom line.

What is IT Asset Disposition?

IT Asset Disposition is the process of disposing of outdated, or unwanted IT equipment in a safe and “green” way. In many cases, your old IT can be repurposed for another organization or use—which means you can hire an IT Asset Disposition partner, like Unistar Technologies, to come in and buy all your unwanted equipment from your organization for an agreed upon price. In those instances, the IT Asset Disposition partner will wipe all of your sensitive data from the equipment, ensuring the privacy of your organization’s data before they sell it.

Going green is a commitment for many organizations, and recycling your outdated technology is a great, effective way to stay within your organizational goals. With IT Asset Disposition, every opportunity to recycle your old tech is taken, ensuring a friendlier approach to the environment.

Why Partner with an IT Asset Disposition Company?

In addition to helping you recycle your outdated tech, in many cases, there are fees associated with disposing of your used equipment. When you partner with an IT Asset Disposition company, you can expect them to do the following for your organization:

• Ensure that storage devices are securely wiped, protecting your organization’s sensitive data.
• Guarantee that ecologically-sensitive materials are disposed of properly to ensure your business doesn’t face fines.
• Limiting environmental fees for disposing of outdated IT—since most of your old IT will be repurposed, it will limit the amount of disposal fees your company will incur.

When looking to partner with an IT Asset Disposition company, it’s important to understand their security measures put in place for wiping your data—and the pricing they give you for your old IT. Reputable partners will be able to break down the prices they buy your equipment at and walk you through their data protection process. Not all IT Asset Disposition companies are created equal, so it’s important to partner with one who has industry experience you can trust.

How Will IT Asset Disposition Save Me Money?

Very simply, an IT Asset Disposition partner will save you money in two ways:

1) They will pay you for your old IT that needs to be replaced, ensuring you recoup some of the money you initially spent on it.
2) They limit your company’s exposure to disposal fees, since you’re selling your IT rather than junking it.

Ready to Save?

If you need to upgrade your IT infrastructure, and are ready to save your company money in the process, contact Unistar Technologies to discuss your needs. We’re here to help walk you through the process, explain how we keep your data secure, and answer any questions you might have.

You can reach us at 678-393-3160 or info@unistartechnologies.com. We look forward to hearing from you.