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Hard Drive Shredding

  • 13.7M
    Disk drives erased, certified and destroyed
  • 19.2M
    Parts recorded and processed
  • £1.75B
    Components recovered for reuse

Businesses in need of a reliable hard drive shredding company in the UK can rely on the dependable ITAD services offered by Wisetek. Remain compliant with GDPR and maintain robust data security with highly secure data shredding services on-premises or at our location in Milton Keynes. 

The threat of a data breach remains one of the single biggest threats to most organisations today, and they’re happening at an alarming rate. Not only can a data breach cost a significant sum to remediate, but it can create long-lasting damage to a company’s reputation as well. Secure hard drive destruction is one of the surest ways to eliminate a major risk vector of data breaches, which is why every business should consult with a reputable hard drive shredding company such as Wisetek. 

Leading Hard Drive Shredding Company

  • Nationwide & International Operations

    From our main UK office located in Milton Keynes to business parks in the Midlands, Essex, Greater London, or wherever your business operates, Wisetek provides nationwide coverage for IT Asset Disposition. We operate internationally in Ireland, continental Europe, and elsewhere around the world. 

  • Comprehensive Services

    Our data shredding services are one of many reliable methods of Data Destruction we provide to our clients. Choose on-site shredding services at your business premises or at one of the many business parks where we operate, such as in the East Midlands or in Greater London. 

  • Circular Economy

    As a pioneer of the circular economy model for ITAD, Wisetek uses Certified Recycling practises as well as IT asset remarketing and refurbishment to help eliminate e-waste, maximise the ROI on redundant IT assets, and help clients maintain sustainable operations. 

  • Maximum Trust & Reliability

    Due to the sensitive nature of data security, clients place a high degree of trust in our processes. That’s why Wisetek always strives to maintain full transparency and our Hard Drive Destruction services are fully auditable and traceable, including video verification of device destruction and data destruction certificates. 

  • Fully Compliant Processes

    Wisetek holds a number of certifications for electronics recycling, and will always meet or exceed regulatory standards of compliance. Our Data Centre Services and other ITAD services are GDPR compliant. 

  • flexible pricing euro

    Flexible Pricing

    All of our services are tailored to the needs of our individual clients. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to doing service, and that includes pricing that includes only the services your business needs. 

Experts In

Data Services

Big business relies on big data, which needs to be held on some form of storage media such as HDDs, SSD hard drives, and on server infrastructure located on-premises or elsewhere through cloud-based storage. Once the storage media has reached the end of its useable lifespan, it needs to be disposed of in a secure manner to prevent data from falling into the wrong hands and potentially causing a costly data breach. 

Wisetek uses various methods of hard drive destruction and disposal, as well as collection of IT assets through services such as Remote IT. All of our hard drive destruction processes are secure and auditable. Below are some of the methods of data destruction we offer clients: 

Hard Drive Degaussing

HDD and other magnetic media can be destroyed by subjecting the device to powerful magnetic forces in a degausser. This equipment renders all data completely unusable whilst leaving the remainder of the device intact. Degaussing is not possible on SSD or flash memory IT assets. 

Hard drive disintegrating

Hard Drive Shredding

The preferred method of data destruction for all storage media types, shredding physically destroys the hard drive and turns it into small chunks 2mm in size (smaller sizes can be requested by clients). Hard drive shredding in London and other cities and business parks in the UK can be performed with SSD & HDD shredders on-premises. 

Wisetek uses powerful commercial hard drive shredder equipment that provides the maximum certainty of full data destruction. 

hard drive shredding Company UK Region

Hard Drive Recycling

Electronics such as hard drives are unsuitable for disposal in landfills due to their contents. Rare earth minerals contained in modern electronics can be toxic, leaching into ground soils and polluting the landfill. Instead, hard drives should be disposed of by more environmentally friendly means, such as recycling. Wisetek is committed to environmental stewardship and a Zero Landfill Policy. 

Hard Drive Shredding Company UK

Benefits of Wisetek’s Hard Drive Shredding Service

  • Mobile Fleet of Hard Drive Shredders

    Wisetek operates a fleet of mobile hard drive shredders that bring convenience and security to business parks in the UK. Our on-premises data destruction enables our clients to see the process take place whilst reducing the need for off-site transport. 

  • High Security Data Destruction

    Of all the methods of data destruction, hard drive shredding is amongst the most secure and thorough. SSD & HDD shredders reduce hard drives down to small, 2mm chunks that would be virtually impossible to reassemble into anything meaningful. For added security, Wisetek can process hard drives into 0.5mm particles (essentially dust). 

  • Save Time & Money

    As a leading ITAD provider and hard drive shredding company in the UK, Wisetek’s mobile data shredding services are time- and cost-efficient. Hard drive shredding is amongst the most reliable and economical methods of data destruction. Our equipment can process up to 3,500 hard drives per hour. 

  • Expert Services

    Economies of Scale

    Hard drive shredding in London and other in other business areas in the UK is best done with professional-grade equipment. Wisetek uses modern, efficient equipment to shred hard drives rapidly. Our expertise and equipment make it far more cost-effective than other methods of data destruction. 

How to Mitigate Data Breaches

As digitisation continues to modernise workplaces in the UK and worldwide, so too have data breaches become an all too frequent occurrence. This is especially true in recent years, with an estimated 1120 data breaches recorded in 2020 alone. 

Moreover, data breaches have become increasingly costly. It is estimated that the average data breach costs an average of £2.9 million in order to contain. 

There are many methods of improving data security to mitigate data breaches, such as improved cybersecurity and policies on device usage, for example. One often overlooked method, however, is to ensure that all redundant IT equipment is disposed of securely and with all data thoroughly destroyed. 

This is why IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) is a growing industry serving the increasingly urgent needs of businesses to securely dispose of IT assets through services such as hard drive shredding and Data Centre Decommissioning. 

Data breaches

E-Waste: A Pernicious Pollution Problem

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing problem worldwide. In the UK alone, it is estimated that nearly 1.45 million tonnes of e-waste are produced annually. This includes everything from mobile phones to laptops and tablets. With rampant consumerism and obsolescence of modern electronics, this trend shows no signs of slowing. 

 Not only is e-waste toxic to the environment when disposed of improperly, but it can also pose a serious health hazard to humans and other flora and fauna. Efforts to reduce fly-tipping and to improve the environment therefore need to include methods of reducing e-waste. 

As jurisdictions around the world continue to impose penalties on improper e-waste disposal, businesses must ensure that they remain compliant not only to avoid fines but also to seek more sustainable alternatives such as recycling and remarketing & refurbishment.

hard drive shredding UK

Frequently Asked Questions About Hard Drive Disposal

What part of the hard drive needs to be destroyed?

In order to render all data irretrievable on a hard drive, it is necessary to destroy the component(s) that contain the data. For HDDs, the component that reads/writes data is called the platter, a small disc silver in colour. By destroying the platter physically or by exposing it to a degausser’s magnets, all data is rendered irretrievable. 

For SSD and flash memory drives, however, degaussing will not work. Instead, shredding the hard drive ensures that all data is securely destroyed. If you’re wondering where to shred hard drives, consider contacting a reputable hard drive shredding company in the UK such as Wisetek. 

Can old hard drives be recycled?

Old hard drives can be recycled by an electronics recycler or through an ITAD company such as Wisetek. The problem with hard drive recycling is that there are many different metals and materials contained within, which must be sorted in order to be processed for recycling. This is much easier to do when the hard drive has been disintegrated or shredded into tiny particles. For this reason, hard drive shredding is far more convenient for subsequent recycling than degaussing. 

Are old hard drives worth saving?

The salvage value of an old hard drive is generally very low. If the hard drive can be refurbished and remarketed with an IT device such as a laptop or PC, however, it can yield some value. ITAD companies differ from electronics recyclers in that they provide the most efficient means of disposal for IT assets, which can include refurbishment and thus improving the ROI on each asset for the client. 

Will a magnets kill a hard drive?

If you’ve ever held a magnet against a floppy disk, it may have been strong enough to scramble its data. Common magnets will not work for HDDs or other magnetic media; much more powerful magnets are required, which is what a hard drive degausser does. 

What is better for destroying data: wipe vs shred the hard drive?

Although many businesses use software applications to wipe hard drives of all sensitive data, there are many applications that are lacking in quality and may leave a way to retrieve the data. In general, wiping is better for data that is not important. Personally identifiable information and more sensitive data should be destroyed using physical hard drive shredding. 

Will removing a hard drive delete the information?

No. Removing the hard drive from a laptop or PC does not delete any data at all, it just makes it so that the device cannot read or write data to the hard drive. The hard drive can be connected to another device with ease, enabling the user to access all of the data store

Is all the information kept on the hard drive?

Most modern businesses store data on servers located on-premises or on the cloud, but a substantial amount of data is often stored on individual workstation hard drives. Many locally stored documents, spreadsheets, images, or other files can contain data that is sensitive and/or classified within the organisation. 

Contact Wisetek Today

Wisetek is your ideal hard drive shredding company in the UK, providing trustworthy and professional ITAD services in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and beyond. Our international expertise provides clients with global solutions. 

Contact us now