What is a data wiping certificate and why do you need one?
What a data wiping certificate is, what it should include, and why UK organisations need one for every retired device under UK GDPR.
Impactech
11/6/20261 min read
When your organisation hands old IT equipment to a recycler, the most important document you get back is the data wiping certificate. Here is what it is, what it should include and why it matters.
What a data wiping certificate is
A data wiping certificate is a record that the data on a specific device has been destroyed. It is issued by the company that did the work, and it covers one device or a list of devices.
What it should include
A good certificate shows the serial number of each device or drive, its make and model, the wiping standard or method used, such as NIST 800-88 Clear, NIST 800-88 Purge or physical shredding, the date, whether the wipe passed, and the name of the company that carried it out.
Why it matters
Under UK GDPR your organisation must be able to show how it protects personal data, and that includes data on equipment you no longer use. A certificate for each device is your evidence. Without one, you are relying on a promise.
Warning signs
Be wary of a single certificate for a whole collection with no serial numbers, a certificate that names no wiping standard, wording such as "data deleted" with no method, or certificates that arrive months later or not at all.
How Impactech handles it
Every device we collect that stores data gets its own certificate, with its serial number and the method used. Drives that cannot be wiped are shredded and recorded in the same way. Collection is free across the UK. Call 07349 960040 or email info@impactechno.com to book.
Contacts
Email: info@impactechno.com
Phone: 07349 960040
Provident House, 44 Harpur Street, Bedford MK40 2QT
Services
Laptop recycling
Data destruction
School IT disposal
WEEE recycling
Guides
Disposing of old company laptops
Data wiping certificates explained
Legal
Impactech Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17165189
Upper tier waste carrier, broker and dealer, registration CBDU659902