As per Indiana University Purchasing Policy 14.1, departments are individually responsible for insuring that no sensitive or confidential data can be recovered from their computers prior to sending the computer to IUB Surplus Stores. For the past several years IUB Surplus Stores has taken the additional initiative to wipe every hard drive received to the latest Department of Defense (DoD) standards. The IUB Surplus Stores wiping process has been approved by both the Information Technology Security Office and Internal Audit. The vast majority of computer hard drives can be and have been successfully wiped to DoD standards.

Occasionally a few hard drives are unable to be wiped due to damage, obsolescence, or other factors. In those occasions, IUB Surplus Stores has removed the hard drive and stored it securely. The new destruction service process mentioned earlier involves IUB Surplus Stores boxing the hard drives needing destruction and hauling them with an IUB truck and driver to IUPUI Surplus Property. The hard drives are then counted, inventoried by serial number, and securely stored at IUPUI Surplus Property. On a regular basis, the hard drives are picked up by Dell Computer Asset Recovery Services, shredded, and a certificate of destruction is issued by Dell to IUPUI attesting to the destruction of the noted serial numbers. IUPUI Surplus Property will then provide a copy of the certificate of destruction and serial numbers to IUB Surplus Stores for us to maintain on file. IUB Surplus Stores will absorb the costs for hard drive destruction for those hard drives unable to be successfully wiped provided the computer system contained a hard drive when it was received. Departments are strongly encouraged to leave hard drives intact when the computer is sent to IUB Surplus Stores.

Departments that decide to remove their hard drives prior to sending the computers to IUB Surplus Stores will be responsible for paying the cost of the hard drive destruction service. Departments will need to box the hard drives, clearly label the boxes, and provide an account number for IUB Surplus Stores to charge. The cost for this service is $4.00 per hard drive. The reason for this charge is that IUB Surplus Stores, as a self-supporting auxiliary, receives the majority of its revenue from the sale of used computer systems. In order to sell a used computer system it is necessary that the computer have a working hard drive. There is virtually no market for computers without hard drives. In fact, it may even be necessary to pay a recycling company just to dispose of computers without hard drives.

Charge Rates for Hard Drive Destruction

If there are any questions about this hard drive destruction service, please contact IUB Surplus Stores at 812-855-2475.