Data centers exposed to data security and financial risks

New Delhi : Imation Corp has announced that it has uncovered data leak
risks, and other serious data security and financial risks in data centers due
to improper destruction of used data storage products. Patient health records,
social security numbers, bank account numbers and internal auditing procedures
are examples of the kinds of information that is unknowingly 'leaking' out of
data centers.

"The only way to securely dispose of used tape media is through a reputable
tape destruction service that provides a certificate of destruction," said Dr
Subodh Kulkarni, VP-Global Commercial Business, R&D and Manufacturing,
Imation.

"Today's tape cartridges have storage capacities of 500GB or more. Even if
99.9 percent of data is erased from a tape, hundreds of megabytes of potentially
sensitive data could remain on the tape. This could include thousands of
customer names and social security numbers, which in turn expose a company to
millions of dollars in legal fees, credit monitoring costs and customer
communications. It could also ruin a company's reputation, result in significant
customer desertions and potentially expose it to regulatory penalties and costly
lawsuits," Dr Kulkarni added.