unit 2- data storage, management and disposal

three techniques used for data disposal are

clearing the data by overwriting the media, purging the data by magnetic erasure of the media, destroying the data by physical destruction of the media.

what is cloud storage

cloud storage allows you to save data and files in an off-site location that you access either through the public internet or a dedicated private network connection. data that you transfer off-site for storage becomes the responsibility of a third-party cloud provider. the provider holds, secures manages and maintains the servers and associated infrastructure and ensures you have access to the data whenever you need it.

what is data storage

collection and retention of digital information

what is magnetic device

computer systems began with the magnetic device in the form of taps like a cassette or video tape. these graduated to the hard disk drive and then the floppy disk. all magnetic media use the general process of a read/write head magnetizing material.

what is purging the data

hard drives and other electronic devices such as computer tapes store data within magnetic fields. a hard drive retains this data only if the magnetic fields are kept in their precise order. a degaussing machine subjects a hard drive to a high-intensity magnetic field, randomizing the patterns of magnetization by applying alternate fields of powerful magnetic amplitude. resulting in irrecoverable data. once degaussed, the drive can no longer be used for storage.

what is optical storage

it is written and read with a laser.it is strong and can handle temperature fluctuations much better than magnetic media. disks used for storage like cds dvds were more expensive than floppies but held alot of data

what are the 3 main categories of storage devices

magnetic, optical and cloud storage

what is overwriting the data

one of the most common ways to clear a data and is usually done by a software which overwrites the media with new data, erasing the older one. this technique can be used to selectively overwrite one part or all a storage medium. the software can also be configured to clear specific data, files, partitions or free up space on the storage media. however, overwriting an entire drive that is of high capacity can take a long time. overwriting can only be done on storage media that is still functional and has not been damaged.

what are some compliance considerations with regards to data management

only maintain the data as long as it is necessary, maintain strict guidelines on access permission and ensure that data access roles are clearly defined, define data sensitivity in terms of the type of data stored, define data management and data security policies clearly, educate organization's employers and other stakeholders of the data access and data management policies, conduct regular audits and checks on data accessed, use of data and disposal of data, engage a professional document destruction contractor or expert to dispose the material using the most appropriate data disposal mechanism.

what is physical destruction of the data

shredding and mechanical destruction are 2 commonly used techniques to physically render the storage media unusable. shredding is the most secure and cost-effective way to destroy any media on hard drives or solid state drives as it reduces electronic devices to pieces no larger than 2mm. incineration of media drives is another way of destruction but this method is less preferred due to the impact to the environment and especially human habitats.