Why Mobile Data Erasing?

Why erase data from mobile device?

 

Security:

  • Avoid accidental data leaks of sensitive company data
  • Identity theft (Credit card information, username and passwords for www-access)
  • Protect personal data (Pictures, messages, contacts, calendar)
  • Protect your company data when employee mobile phone is either lost or stolen

 

Cost savings:

  • Retired mobile devices are electronic waste - proper handling costs up to 20 Euros in total (collecting, transport, crushing costs)
  • After 2 years of usage high end category smart phone holds 25% of its original value
  • Erasing retired mobile phones changes the device status from electronic waste to re-usable or re-sellable asset.

 

Environment:

  • Proper corporate security policies guarantee company security and reputation. Poorly handled electronic waste disposal is a huge risk for company reputation.
  • Goal of the EU directive on electrical and electronic waste - Re-using of retired electrical and electronic devices comes first after that recycling.
  • Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament (Chapter 14)
    Producers should not prevent, through specific design features or manufacturing processes, WEEE from being reused, unless such specific design features or manufacturing processes present overriding advantages, for example with regard to the protection of the environment and/or safety requirements.

 

PC and Smart Phone Life Cycle

Today all security aware companies have PC erasing involved in their ICT process. Even if encryption is in use all retired PC devices and data storage devices are erased as part of the removal process.

The same process should be applied also to smart phones, because current smart phones can hold significant amount of company sensitive data - contacts, calendar, emails, meeting memos and all the settings in the device. Especially settings left into retired device may expose corporate to serious threats. For example in many device models email and WLAN access profiles hold all the required information to gain corporate intranet access with that device.