For 3 Step IT and our customers, security is everything. From the moment the items leave the customer’s hands until we have processed it, security is the highest priority. This is why our facilities get security classifications with employees undergoing both rigorous security exercises and extensive training.
The units arrive in a locked and sealed safe carefully packed into the truck which rolls into 3 Step IT’s Logistics Centre in Klavreström, Sweden. Inside the facility, security is visible in the form of fencing, cameras and alarm systems, which are always switched on. The nickname “Fort Knox” is no exaggeration.
Henrik Sörestad, Remarketing Manager at the facility, speaks about the security work.
“We are unable to disclose information on the customers we are working with at the moment, but it is not uncommon for us to handle units that may contain information concerning national security. This means that strict requirements are imposed on the facility. Criminal record checks have been run on all employees, as well as all other necessary register checks. We also have an extensive security system, which encompasses camera monitoring, steel panels on the walls and alarms. Everything is security classified.”
Security has always been a key issue for 3 Step IT, and it is also an important requirement for customers.
“We have noted that personal information has been pushed up the agenda with the adoption of GDPR. Naturally, it is important that corporate information is not leaked to the public. A PC or a smartphone contains much more data than you would imagine.”
Access through smartphones
When we think about IT security, we often focus on computers, despite the fact that it is actually via smartphones that we are the most vulnerable.
“You might not have large Excel files in your mobile, but you still have access to your e-mail and other internal systems. We therefore recommend that companies use the same security measures for mobile phones as for computers. All contacts, images and apps are stored in our mobiles, and many people use them to, for example, take pictures of their notes.”
Not trash, but treasure
The fact that there are still those who throw their IT equipment away rather than having a plan for its disposal, puzzles Henrik.
“Just throwing your mobile in the trash is the worst thing you can do; you have no control over where it ends up. Nobody at the dump will check to make sure that no-one takes it. If the equipment is processed by us, you will receive certification that all data has been erased, and the item is reused or recycled. Security is important, but there is also an environmental responsibility.”
For 3 Step IT, the customer’s security is always a focus. When IT security risks grow as increasingly sensitive material is stored digitally, it is more important than ever to close the life cycle of our devices. Our policy on security is always full transparency and traceability.
