Email question about data security in an old copier.

Good Morning Andy,
             
As you may or may not have seen during your visits to our company, we have a very large, older printer/copier/scanner/fax machine. We do not use it and it is just collecting dust. My boss is wanting to sell it, but is worried about any data saved to the memory and would like the data wiped. So, for the questions, does your company provide a service that wipes data from older or unused machines? If you do, how much would such a service cost? If you do not, can you recommend someone trustworthy whom I may get in contact with? Last question. Once I have had the data wiped on the copier, would you company be interested in buying it from us?

I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you with advice. Much Thanks!!

- Sara

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My response:

Sara,

Thank you for contacting me about this. Security in copiers and multifunction devices is a hot topic. It is a very real threat. Digital copies of scanned or copied images are stored on the hard drives of most of these devices. The best and most complete method to eliminate the threat is to remove the hard drive from the device. Then, to make the device functional again, it would be necessary to install a new hard drive.

Is it worth it? 
That depends on the particular device you have. What brand and model is it? How many pages are on its meter (think of the odometer in your car)? At best, you might get wholesale price for the sale of your old copier. There are a few outlets that might be interested. At Southeastern Laser, we sell mostly new equipment and a few, if not rare, used pieces usually limited to HP and Xerox brands. On occasion, we have sold refurbished Lexmark and Canon devices, too.

Bottom line
I recommend removal of the hard drive from your old copier. We can handle that for you at a charge of $150. Then, we can contact our outlets to see if anyone would be interested in buying it from you, as is. If not, we can take the copier to a local recycle center for you.

I hope this information is helpful. Thanks again for asking.

Regards,
Andy