Old laptops tend to sit in a cupboard until someone has a clear-out. By then nobody remembers whose they were or what's on them. This checklist takes about an afternoon for a small office, and it closes one of the most common data protection gaps in small businesses.
1. List what you're getting rid of
Write down every laptop, desktop, external drive, USB stick, phone and tablet that's leaving, with its serial number. Don't forget photocopiers and multifunction printers: many keep scanned documents on an internal drive.
2. Back up what you need to keep
Check with whoever used each device that their files are in your shared storage or cloud. Once a drive is properly wiped, nothing can be recovered.
3. Remove accounts and management
- Sign out of Microsoft 365, Apple ID and Google accounts.
- Turn off Find My on Macs, iPhones and iPads, otherwise Activation Lock makes them useless to the next owner.
- Ask your IT provider to remove devices from Intune, Autopilot or Apple Business Manager.
- Deactivate software licences that are tied to a machine.
4. Wipe properly, don't just delete
Deleting files, emptying the bin and quick resets usually leave data recoverable. Each drive needs a method suited to its type: overwriting for traditional hard drives, the drive's own sanitize command for SSDs. Then check the result. Guidance such as NIST SP 800-88 sets out the methods.
5. Get a record for every drive
Under UK GDPR's accountability principle you need to be able to show what you did with personal data, not just say it. A certificate per drive, listing the serial number, method, result and date, is that evidence. File it with your data protection records.
6. Decide where the hardware goes
- Reuse: reinstall the operating system and give it to someone in the business.
- Donate: several Scottish charities accept wiped business laptops for people who need one.
- Sell: laptops from the last few years have real resale value.
- Recycle: anything beyond use is electrical waste. Under Scotland's waste duty of care, businesses must only hand waste to a carrier registered with SEPA and keep a waste transfer note.
7. Keep the paperwork
Keep the certificates and any transfer notes together. If a client, insurer or the ICO ever asks what happened to an old laptop, you can answer in a minute.
Want it done for you?
TrustWipe does steps 4 and 5 on your premises across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and can buy working laptops from you afterwards. Prices start at £15 per laptop.