Globe Telecom Data Erasure | Blancco Case Study

As our recent study indicates, data breaches have become a common occurrence, with 28 percent of organizations admitting to being hit by a data breach in the past 12 months. Additionally, 29 percent of organizations have been cited for failing to comply with data security regulations in the last 24 months. As a result, businesses face a constant challenge of managing data properly, mitigating security risks and adhering to the stringent requirements of data protection regulations. This is particularly true for telecommunications providers that store large amounts of personal data from both customers and employees across various types of equipment and devices.

Highlights

• 28% of organizations were hit by a data breach in last 12 months*
• 29% of organizations were cited for failing to comply with data security regulations in last 24 months*
• 67% of used hard disk drives and solid state drives hold personally identifiable information**

* Blancco, Data Protection: Prioritizing Regulations & Guidelines, December 2016
** Blancco, The Leftovers: A Data Recovery Study, June 2016

Challenge

As a telecommunications provider with over 55 million customers and thousands of employees in the Philippines, Globe Telecom faced two major challenges. First, it needed to be able to securely and verifiably erase data from IT assets, environments and devices to prevent sensitive data from being exposed and potentially breached. And because of the large size of its workforce and customer base, it needed to be able to automate and scale the erasure process to reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. Finally, the company needed to be able to adhere to data protection regulations and industry guidelines, including PCI DSS, ISO 27001 and the Data Privacy Law (RA10173).

Prior to working with Blancco, the telecommunications provider used more manual and time-consuming processes, such as physical drills and freeware deletion software, to wipe data before IT assets, environments and devices reached end-of-life or were discarded, recycled, repurposed or resold. But as industry research and data breaches have proven, freeware deletion software is not effective and leaves sensitive data exposed. Meanwhile, physical destruction causes unnecessary toxic waste and harm to the environment.

Solution

Because the concept of data erasure is not as well-known as other areas of data security in the Philippines, Globe Telecom knew it needed to do more than simply implement software to securely and verifiably erase data. The company wanted ongoing guidance, advice and recommendations to ensure its business – and its IT teams – were adequately equipped to protect employee, customer and corporate data. In addition, the company wanted to build the right data management and monitoring practices to drive regulatory compliance.

Globe Telecom implemented the full Blancco Data Erasure Management package (including: Blancco Mobile Device Eraser, Blancco File Eraser, Blancco Drive Eraser and several other erasure solutions), as well as our consulting services, to ensure all employee, customer and corporate data is permanently and verifiably erased when IT assets and devices are in current use and reach end-of-life. As part of the data erasure offering, Globe Telecom receives digitally signed, tamper-proof certificates verifying data is truly gone and cannot be recovered. This is a vital tool used by the company for audit trail purposes and to ensure regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, the company has also engaged in a consulting program, in which data erasure experts and technical engineers from Blancco provide a gap analysis of current data erasure challenges and recommendations for improvement on a regular basis.

Results

Increased data protection. Increased operational efficiencies. Strengthened regulatory compliance.

“The Blancco Data Eraser solutions, coupled with their consulting services, have become invaluable tools for us to not only securely erase data from IT assets when they reach end-of-life, but also to provide us with the ongoing guidance and recommendations to understand how, where and when data security may be at risk within our organization – and when secure erasure can help mitigate those risks. One of the most valuable components of Blancco’s offering is the ability to receive digitally signed, tamper-proof erasure reports. These certificates allow us to increase visibility and monitoring of data erasures and provide the necessary audit trail for regulatory compliance with data protection laws and industry guidelines, such as the Philippines National Privacy Act, PCI DSS and ISO 27001.”

Anton Bonifacio, CISO, Globe Telecom

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.