Providing Certifiable, Secure Data Erasure to South Africa in Compliance with the PoPI Act | Blancco Case Study

For IT Asset Disposition vendors, security is key. When any IT asset reaches the end of its life, businesses are required to manage the complete destruction of any data previously living on the device. That’s where ITADs come in. Xperien, a Blancco channel partner has been providing ITAD solutions to South African businesses for the past two decades. Through, Blancco’s Erasure-as-a-Service offering , Xperien ensures the safe and secure destruction of data, and the complete sanitization of all assets, prior to the removal and disposal of the assets themselves.

Challenge

Founded in 1999, Xperien has had a front row seat to the technical revolution of the past two decades. What was ample practice for data disposal prior to the introduction of newer and more advanced hardware is no longer viable today, and the company must be compliant with local regulations when managing, transporting and disposing of their customers’ assets. Customers require data destruction that complies with the data security standards applicable to their industries– and Xperien services organizations that need the strictest security when it comes to the sensitive data they store.

Xperien services its clients both onsite in data centers and business premises and off-site at its own facility. This means that its Erasure-as-a-Service solution must be fully traceable and certifiable – assets cannot leave the premises of most businesses without certifying that secure data sanitization has been fully and irrevocably implemented. Data centers often contain a huge amount of hardware for disposition, and to manually wipe and destroy the devices would be a vast waste of manpower and in turn a vast waste of Xperien resources. Xperien required a solution that diminished this risk and boosted its bottom line, while ensuring it could still provide the utmost in secure ITAD services to its clients.

Not all assets that pass through Xperien are ready for destruction. Many enterprises are now able to repurpose, recycle and redistribute their IT assets. These assets are simply at end-of-service. It is imperative that any assets being redistributed are fully and certifiably erased before they go to their new home, to be compliant with Data Security Standards such as the PoPI Act and GDPR. Once these assets are fully sanitized, their redistribution will lessen the enterprise’s e-waste footprint and save on excessive hardware costs. Everyone wins.

Solution

As a partner of Blancco, Xperien utilizes its Erasure-as-a-Service offering to certifiably and completely erase IT assets at both end-of-life and end-of-service. Whether the assets are to be transported off-site or erased on premises, Xperien can provide a tamper-proof audit trail with certification of all erasures, enabling its customers to remain compliant with the PoPI Act, GDPR and other such regulations that govern data management and disposal in the South Africa region.

Xperien delivers its clients a service that provides protection against costly data breaches, giving their customers’ clients peace of mind. By mitigating the risk of data exposure while simultaneously enabling enterprises to save on hardware costs when assets are repurposed, Xperien helps its customers boost their bottom lines while reducing harmful e-waste.

About Xperien

Established in 1999, Xperien (Pty) Limited is a leading South African Information Technology Asset Disposition (ITAD) company, based in Johannesburg. It is the only company in Africa with ISO9001: 2015 accreditation specifically for ITAD.

Xperien provides secure, accredited ITAD services. Its value proposition is to protect clients’ personal information and intellectual property that resides on their computers, during technology changes and at “end-of-service”.

Xperien services clients primarily in the financial services sector, managing their enterprise and desktop infrastructures within South Africa and abroad. Xperien provides cost-effective solutions to combat the challenges associated with data loss and to mitigate reputational risk.

With compliance standards that meets the CEGS and NIST SP 800-88, particularly in terms of data-destruction processes, and adherence to the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Xperien provides secure services that help its clients meet stringent compliance regulations.

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About Blancco

Blancco is the industry standard in data erasure and mobile device diagnostics. Blancco data erasure solutions provide thousands of organizations with the tools they need to add an additional layer of security to their endpoint security policies through secure erasure of IT assets. All erasures are verified and certified through a tamper-proof audit trail.

Blancco data erasure solutions have been tested, certified, approved and recommended by 18 governing bodies and leading organizations around the world. No other data erasure software can boast this level of compliance with the rigorous requirements set by government agencies, legal authorities and independent testing laboratories.
Blancco Mobile Diagnostics solutions enable mobile network operators, retailers and call centers to easily, quickly and accurately identify and resolve performance issues on their customers’ mobile devices. As a result, mobile retailers can spend less time dealing with technical issues and, in turn, reduce the quantity of No Trouble Found (NTF) returns, save on operational costs and increase customer satisfaction.

Additionally, Blancco Mobile Diagnostics solutions empower mobile processors, 3PLs, Recyclers and Repair & Refurbishment Operations to easily, quickly and accurately process used mobile devices to identify any issues and determine overall value. By incorporating Blancco Mobile Diagnostics, mobile processors automate processes, deliver intelligent routing based on device attributes and increase overall efficiency, while driving incremental revenue and profitability.