Utility Companies Facing Increasing Data Threats As Records Exposed

Utility companies face growing pressure to implement strict data destruction policies to safeguard client information. With data breaches on the rise, particularly in industries providing essential services, these companies are prime targets for cyberattacks.

In the last year alone, utility data breaches have surged, with one incident compromising 90% of a utility’s internal systems and erasing 25 years of historical data, while another breach leaked sensitive customer information such as names, addresses, and usage details. Given this reality, robust data destruction protocols are essential for utilities to ensure compliance and data integrity.

For hardware such as hard disk drives (HDDs), secure destruction often involves degaussing, which effectively erases data by disrupting the magnetic fields that store it. The DataGauss LG Max is one advanced degausser recommended for this purpose, enabling utilities to permanently destroy data on retired HDDs without risk of residual recovery. However, other forms of media, including solid-state drives (SSDs), CDs, and DVDs, require physical shredding to ensure data cannot be reconstructed. For these media, the Mediagone 500 shredder is an optimal solution, designed to irreversibly destroy data by reducing these storage devices to small, unreadable fragments.

Effective data destruction also requires comprehensive auditing to verify that destruction processes are secure and complete. Both the DataGauss LG Max and Mediagone 500 offer integrated data auditing, with optional compatibility for the DD Imager, a tool that captures real-time images of the destruction process to support auditing and compliance efforts.

Utility companies must prioritize data security not only to protect sensitive customer information but also to comply with global data protection regulations. By investing in thorough destruction protocols, including degaussing and shredding, and by implementing audit-ready solutions, utilities can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and enhance client trust in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape.

To learn more about securely erasing your data, get in contact with us today: [email protected]

Photo credit: Public Power ORG