The standard, "Removal of Commonwealth Data from Surplus Computer Hard Drives and Electronic Media," brings agencies and institutions of higher education into line with industry best practices. It was promulgated in accordance with legislation authorizing the chief information officer, Virginia's Secretary of Technology George C. Newstrom, to "direct the development of policies and procedures for the effective management of technology investments in the commonwealth." A recent Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts report recommended a series of steps to strengthen current policies and procedures in dealing with the disposal of surplus computer equipment.
The purpose of the new standard is to update and reflect best practices by outlining specific requirements to assist agency heads and others in the removal of commonwealth data and to define a process to certify the data removal prior to sale or reuse.
"In order to assure that each agency in the commonwealth protects sensitive data, we felt it timely to address this matter with a specific standard," said Newstrom. "VITA was established to provide strong, consistent enterprise-wide guidance in the use of information technology, including strengthening information security," he said. "This standard gives agencies and institutions of higher education guidance to strengthen their current security procedures and can also be use by the public and local governments as a guide for their own information security."
These standards, although adopted immediately, have also been published online and will be available for public comment for a period of 30 days on the Online Review and Comment Application (ORCA). To learn more, please visit the VITA Web site.
Questions regarding the standard should be addressed to Jenny Hunter 804/343-9012.
