Tag: Media Disposal

Restricted Data: Retention and Destruction

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Restricted data is subject to retention and destruction standards imposed
by federal and state laws, regulatory mandates, and campus policies.
The UF data retention schedule is available on the Smathers Library site.

As important as it is for faculty and staff to know data retention standards, it’s equally important to know how to properly discard restricted data. Different media requires different destruction methods. For example, just throwing away paper records or deleting restricted data from a PC or other device does not meet university requirements. Paper records, CDs, and DVDs with restricted data cannot be reused and should be cross-cut shredded or incinerated. The sanitization and destruction standards policy should be mandatory reading for anyone in the UF community prior to working with or handling restricted data.

UF Property Surplus provides campus with secure media disposal services. They have two drop-off locations, at Building 811 off of Elmore Drive and at the UFIT Help Desk in the Hub. Faculty and staff who have questions about working with or properly disposing of restricted data are welcome to email UF’s Information Security Office.

Securely Disposing of UF Records and Media

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The secure destruction of paper, electronic records, and media containing restricted data is required at the University of Florida. Failure to properly dispose of documents and media, such as hard drives, USBs, and CDs, that hold restricted data can cause significant risk to UF and its faculty, students, and staff.

UF’s process for disposal of records is clearly articulated to ensure compliance. Faculty and staff should know that different media types (e.g., paper, CD, files stored on encrypted hard drives, etc.) have different destruction methods. The Securely Deleting Electronic and Paper Records webpage includes a chart with a complete list of media types and disposal methods. If your department is moving or has a need to dispose of a significant volume of paper files, UF Procurement Services offers bulk-shredding services for university records as well as media that is required to be destroyed.

Anyone with questions about working with, or the process for deleting electronic and paper records that contain restricted data, may email the UF Information Security Office.