The Bits and Bytes to Record Destruction

On the surface, it would seem disposing of electronic records should be easier than those on paper. While hitting the “delete” key may be straightforward, unfortunately for those seeking to permanently destroy a record, it is not that simple. This challenge is compounded where optical platters are involved. The permanancy of optical is also what makes destruction so difficult. While re-writeable platters exist, most legacy systems employ permanent write-once platters. Further, for legal purposes it is common for write-once platters to be the storage medium of choice . But when the document retention policy calls for destruction of a record stored on optical, the "delete" key is useless. The issue is compounded when the dates of the documents to be destroyed are significantly different, while residing on the same platter.

This is a common challenge expressed by CIOs and CFOs. Unfortunately there are no easy solutions to this, but there are options. It is possible to delete the pointers to these records that make retrieval possible. However this does not destroy the record. Another option is to "pool" records into "storage pools." These group documents based on pre-determined criteria, such as those outlined by the retention policy. Unfortunately, most legacy deployments do not have this capability. The best option for many is to first migrate those documents that are not to be destroyed, onto magnetic storage. This is especially helpful as vendors like HP are sunsetting support for optical jukeboxes. Once the records designated for continued retention are copied to magnetic, the appropriate optical platters may be physically destroyed. This guarantees that the record is permanently eliminated.

Remember that regardless of your corporate policy, consistency and compliance with the law are imperative.