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Data Deletion vs Data Erasure—What is the Difference?

As a business, it goes without saying that you’ll have tons of data saved and that you may need to get rid of sensitive or unnecessary information from your computers or servers quite often. As a result, you may turn to either of the following two methods to carry out this task—data deletion or data erasure. 
Now, you may just regard both actions as ways to ‘remove data’ from your systems, however, they are fundamentally different processes in every sense. These methods have entirely different purposes and mechanisms, not to mention the differences in the end results offered by them. 
If you plan on using either of these approaches to get rid of your business data, first, you must understand the basic differences between data deletion and data erasure. It is essential to understand the core of these approaches, especially because of the various data vulnerabilities that your organisation is open to. 
To help you out, the experts at Redpalm have put together this blog, explaining in detail the differences between data deletion vs data erasure. This will help you to further determine which method your business should choose to keep itself safe from possible vulnerabilities.
Let’s get started!

Data Deletion

Data deletion is the simple process of deleting a file and placing it into the Recycle Bin or Trash. In other words, when you remove a file, the computer will get rid of the pointers to the file and mark the place as ‘open’ for storing new files or data.
However, it should be noted that data deletion doesn’t delete the actual file, only its address. This makes the file invisible and inaccessible to the user, but the file still resides in the storage media. 
This means, anyone can still access your files by using data recovery software, even after they have been deleted. 
To keep your data safe, it’s recommended to contact an IT security company like Redpalm, as we will ensure that no one can access any sensitive information that you’ve deleted from your computer. 

Risks of Data Deletion

As mentioned earlier, data deletion only helps you to create more storage space and has nothing to do with actually getting rid of data to protect the privacy of your business. Put simply, if your business chooses to be ignorant about this, it can put your data at risk. 
Not only that, but if this data is exposed to any unauthorised parties, it could lead to serious issues like financial fraud, customer loss, brand damage and more. Additionally, it can be even worse for your organisation, as data deletion can lead to data breaches and therefore, heavy penalties due to non-compliance with laws and regulations. 
If you’re facing any of these issues, Redpalm’s IT security team can help you. With our business continuity and disaster recovery services, our experienced IT team can prevent any more damage to your company. 

Data Erasure

Data erasure is the process of overwriting the existing data stored in your business storage by using binary or other random patterns. This helps to completely destroy and sanitise any data or sensitive information. 
This process of erasing data is also termed data destruction, as it aims to eradicate any information and render it completely unusable and inaccessible to you or outsiders. However, the overwriting process used for data erasure differs depending on the basis of patterns used. 
What you need to keep in mind though is that the information that is gone due to data erasure won’t be present on the system and there’s no software or in-lab methods or techniques that you can use to recover it. This means that you need to be mindful of the data you want to store and delete from your systems.
To help you out with the process, you can get in touch with professional IT experts like the Redpalm team, as they will ensure that the data is securely eradicated from any device.

Why Should You Use Data Erasure to Get Rid of Unneeded Data?

Data erasure is one of the most secure and efficient methods of getting rid of any unnecessary or sensitive information. This is because it makes sure that hackers or any other potential threats can’t gain access to your data, keeping you safe from any security risks.
Experienced IT Companies like Redpalm can offer data erasure solutions that use safe, certified and trusted methods to completely wipe out data from SSDs and HDDs. Additionally, these methods are enforced by the NCSC, ensuring that once the information is eradicated, it can’t be recovered. 

Contact Redpalm for Robust Cyber Security Solutions

Data breaches are detrimental to organisations, as they cause trouble to your workflow by stealing your confidential data. As a result, it’s important to hire a company like Redpalm that specialises in cyber security and other IT services.
We have a team of knowledgeable IT professionals with years of experience carrying out services like cyber security, technology procurement and more!
To find out how we can help your business be more secure, contact us today!