Disposing of Computing Resources at Rice University
All devices (computers, hard drives, flash drives, printers, etc) capable of storing information must be purged of all information (user data, software licensed to the University, etc) before the transfer of ownership. This includes devices both being transferred from one department to another and those leaving the campus through the Rice Classifieds or recycling.
Rice University uses standard, open-source software to perform a three-pass binary overwrite method to clean information from computers' hard drives.
To have a computer cleaned of information, use one of the following three options:
- Contact your Divisional Support Representative for assistance.
- Download the tool and clean the system. Instructions are here.
- Remove all devices capable of storing information and bring them to the Mudd Operations center. IT will clean the drives.
Once the computer is cleaned, it can be transferred or put on Rice Classifieds. Attach a Disposal Form to the system indicating the cleaning method. The form is located here. If a Divisional Support Representative performed the cleaning, they will fill out the form.
Proper disposal of electronic data is becoming increasingly important. In keeping with the IT Security Policy, Data Center Operations will now take all data-capable pieces of hardware (tapes, hard drives, etc) and make arrangements to properly destroy them.
If a department or group has a large (several hundred) number of tapes/drives, an external disposal service may be used (at a very reasonable cost - ~$1 to ~$5 per device) at their expense.
For drives that simply need to be cleaned for redeployment (classifieds, transfer, etc), the 'SqueeGee' system is still available.
If you have any questions about the policy or the related procedures, please contact the Information Security Office at x5735.
