Flip4New Data Erasure and Mobile Diagnostics Case Study

Deloitte Global predicts mobile users will sell or trade in approximately 120 million smartphones in 2016, generating more than $17 billion. This is a 50 percent increase from the 80 million smartphones traded in 2015.

To ensure mobile trade-in programs are successful, mobile service providers must be able to maximize the resale value of used devices and prevent sensitive personal and corporate data from being handed over to strangers. Delivering on both promises to customers has proven to be challenging. As our own data recovery study shows, ecommerce sites like Amazon, eBay and Gazelle are reselling used mobile devices without permanently erasing data from them. As a result, thousands of leftover emails, call logs, texts/SMS/IMs, photos and videos were retrieved from 35 percent of these used mobile devices.

Highlights

• 120 million smartphones will be sold or traded in in 2016*
• Average total cost of data breach grew from $3.8 million to $4 million**
• 35% of used smartphones sold online contained leftover data***

* Deloitte Global, 2016 TMT Predictions
** IBM, 2016 Total Cost of Data Breach Study
*** Blancco Technology Group, Privacy for Sale: A Data Security Study, October 2015

Challenge

As a re-commerce business, Flip4New had two major challenges. First, the company wanted to scale the number of devices tested and processed by its technicians. Second, it needed to securely and verifiably erase all data so that customers could rest assured their old data could not be recovered after trading in their devices.

Prior to working with Blancco, Flip4New relied on a more manual diagnostics testing system, which often resulted in incomplete and inaccurate test results. As a result, the customer experience was not always as speedy and efficient as Flip4New wanted for its customers.

A mobile trade-in program is not complete without ensuring that ‘old’ data has been permanently erased. With sensitive personal and corporate data often stored on mobile devices, it is important to prove to customers that their data has been erased securely and verifiably.

Solution

To improve its operational efficiencies and scale its trade-in program, Flip4New implemented the Blancco Diagnostics solution to enable its technicians to easily, quickly and accurately test each traded in device to ensure optimal device performance and resale value for its customers. By using the Blancco Diagnostics solution, Flip4New was able to increase the number of devices tested per technician and reduce the costs associated with the testing process.

To provide its customers with the assurance that their ‘old’ data could not be recovered after their devices were resold, Flip4New implemented the Blancco Mobile Device Eraser solution. This solution can simultaneously erase mobile data from up to 50 mobile devices running on iOS and Android operating systems. This has allowed the company to further automate its processes, increase its efficiency and scale its trade-in program.

Most importantly, the Blancco Mobile Device Eraser solution provided something that no other data erasure vendor was able to deliver – a digitally signed certificate of proof that all data has been permanently erased. This has allowed Flip4New to assure customers that their data privacy will not be compromised. In a world where regulatory authorities have tampered down on organizations for failing to take the necessary data security precautions, addressing this issue is key.

“Blancco’s diagnostics and data erasure solutions have proven to be of tremendous value for our business. The diagnostics solution has enabled us to optimize and automate the testing and processing of traded in devices, while also putting more money into our customers’ pockets for their old devices. With the Blancco data erasure solutions, we can not only protect our customers’ data privacy, but we can also increase their level of trust and loyalty with us. These are both incredibly important benefits that allow us to maximize the success of our trade-in program.”

Lennart Kleuser, Founder & CEO, Flip4New

About Blancco

As the de facto standard in certified data erasure, Blancco Mobile Device Eraser allows organizations, mobile service providers and resellers to properly dispose of, recycle, trade in or resell mobile devices. The benefits are operational efficiencies, increased risk mitigation and regulatory compliance.

Improved Operational Efficiencies

By automating diagnostics testing and erasures of multiple devices simultaneously your organization can improve productivity and deliver a more rewarding customer experience.

Maximized Device Performance and Resale Value

The trade-in process will be quicker and more accurate, leaving your customers more satisfied and with more cost savings.

Increased Risk Mitigation

Provide an audit trail and ensure regulatory compliance with a digitally signed certificate verifying all data is permanently erased.