“Disposal” for your workstation can mean many things. You may hear terms like “reuse” or “retire” used for disposal, but know that regardless of these terms, the request process remains the same. Here are a few examples:
- Reuse by Department: If you are replacing your computer but would like your old one to be reused by your department.
- Taking Your Computer with You: If you are leaving the university and can take your computer with you, WashU IT will need to ensure it is properly licensed to you.
- Complete Disposal: If you want to get rid of your computer completely, WashU IT can take it and either repurpose it for another user within the organization or donate it to a verified third party.
The word “sensitive” often describes data that, if disclosed without authorization, could result in harm. Sensitive data includes categories such as protected information, confidential data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and controlled unclassified information (CUI). For guidance on data classifications, visit the Data Classification webpage.
Information that can identify an individual is known as personally identifiable information (PII). Protected health information (PHI) refers to any health-related details that can identify an individual and is protected by HIPAA. For more information on PHI and other protected data classes, visit the Protected Information webpage.
Yes, research data may be considered confidential data. If research data handles PHI or other protected data classes, then it should be considered protected data. Please visit the Data Classification webpage for more information.
When disposing of data and assets, it is advisable to exercise caution if there is any uncertainty regarding whether a device has processed protected or confidential information.
If the device has not had WashU Data, visit the EHSA website or email ehs@wustl.edu for disposal assistance. If it has WashU Data, use the ServiceNow form to follow the process.
This also affects unencrypted USB drives and other removable storage outside of computers.
All removable media that currently has or once had PHI and PII must be sanitized by WashU IT and returned to the owner or you can request secure disposal by WashU IT.
- Reimage: The device is being repurposed for personal use. This means the operating system will be newly installed on the workstation.
- Reuse: The device is being utilized for someone else in the department, team, or will be placed back into inventory for future use. This means the operating system will be newly installed on the workstation, regardless of whether the workstation remains at WashU or is converted for personal use.
- Remove: The device no longer meets the university’s operating requirements and will be disposed or donated.
No, it is not possible to recover this data. If you are going through the disposal process, be sure to back up necessary files to your Box or OneDrive folders.
Contact WashU IT via ithelp@wustl.edu or call at 314-933-3333 and a person from our support team will pick up the device on campus.
To prevent losing important documents before disposal, consider saving them to your Box or OneDrive folders as an alternative.
Submit a ServiceNow form. As part of this process, you will be engaged by WashU IT for pickup of the device for processing.
Submit a ServiceNow form. As part of this process, you will be engaged by WashU IT for pickup of the device for processing and it can be returned to your department after the data disposal has been processed.
Call the service desk at 314-933-3333 for assistance.