The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has useful tips on how to safeguard and protect sensitive information stored on the hard drives of digital copiers.
Some digital copiers are actually computers with hard disk drives to manage incoming workloads. The hard drive on a digital copier stores data about the documents it copies, prints, scans, emails or faxes.
Many manufactures offer data security features as either standard equipment or add-on services. For example, some manufacturers offer hard drive encryption or overwriting. Encryption requires a code to allow the information on the hard drive to be deciphered. Overwriting changes the values of the bits on the disk by replacing the data with random characters.
If a copier is leased and then returned, employers must make sure that information is not retained on the drive when it is returned. Likewise, if a copier is at the end of life and ready to be disposed, employers should consider what happens to the hard drive upon disposal.
Guidance from the FTC on copier security can be accessed here.
