Network Frontiers Releases Media Disposal Toolkit

PRESS RELEASE

OAKLAND, CA - December 17, 2008: The BlackBerry, a technological marvel Senator John McCain was once credited with having helped to create, has suddenly turned into a data mess, one that could have easily been avoided if his staffers understood the importance of removing stored information from technology devices before releasing those devices into the wild.

To help ensure other companies don't mistakenly expose critical business data when disposing of technology, Network Frontiers, the leader in IT regulatory compliance management, has developed the Media Disposal Toolkit priced at $129.95 now available at www.itucf.com/mediadisposal.html. Those who purchase in the next ten days will receive the product for only $99.95.

Back in mid-September, McCain's senior domestic policy adviser told reporters the BlackBerry e-mail device was a "miracle that John McCain helped create." Some of those little miracles, along with other office equipment, were sold late last week during the campaign headquarters fire sale in Arlington, Virginia. Two investigative journalists at a Fox News affiliate purchased a McCain staffer's BlackBerry which turned out to contain contact information for donors, politicians, lobbyists and journalists, hundreds of emails sent from September until just after the November 4 election, calendars and photos.

Computer hard drives and storage media containing critical data have also been sold by their owners on sites such as eBay, or resold unwiped by companies that accept trade-ins of old devices.

Network Frontiers' Media Disposal Toolkit contains everything any organization needs to know about data disposal, presented in a logical actionable format:

* Spreadsheet of Unified Common Controls -- a collated, cross-referenced list of actions required by international regulations, standards, and best practices -- with information on how organizations must legally clear, purge and destroy data from devices ranging from Flash Media cards to fax machines, removable storage, printers, computer RAM, hard drives, cell/smart phones and other devices.

* Comprehensive Work Breakdown Structure outlining the correct processes and procedures to use when preparing equipment for resale or reuse

* Detailed Data Deletion Management Reference Documentation on the policies and standards that organizations must adhere to in order to be in compliance with global regulatory mandates.

This toolkit will be updated quarterly and the price includes a year subscription to the updates.

The Media Disposal Toolkit leverages the demonstrated expertise Network Frontiers has achieved in the compliance space via its creation of The Unified Compliance Framework, which extracts the IT controls from hundreds of international regulatory requirements, standards, and guidelines. These controls are harmonized into a simple, cross-referenced format, dramatically reducing the time and cost associated with regulatory compliance efforts.

"McCain's spokesperson told the media the information leaked due to 'an unfortunate staff error, and procedures are being put in place to ensure all information is secure.' But obviously the time to secure information is before it's exposed, not after," said Dorian Cougias, founder and lead analyst of the Unified Compliance Framework.

McCain's campaign isn't the only organization which sold devices with confidential data. Research recently conducted by British Telecommunications plc indicated that over a third of BlackBerry devices are sold without being wiped of sensitive personal and corporate data, typically including details of bank accounts, passwords, minutes from board meetings, and business plans.

Many people are now aware that simply deleting files or reformatting drives does not remove data -- it just hides the files. Anyone with a modicum of technical skill can easily restore the "deleted" files using readily available, free software. But those with advanced skills can also revive data that seemed to have been fully purged from drives, opening enterprises and agencies to serious compliance issues, litigation due to the exposure of protected personal data, identity theft, and other crimes. Data can also hide in places that aren't always purged, such as printer memory and routers.

"It's all too easy for enterprises to think they are properly managing data disposal, only to find their efforts fell short and their data is now being shared online," said Craig Isaacs, CEO of Network Frontiers, LLC. "We created the Media Disposal Toolkit to provide companies with all of the information they need to protect personal data and remain in compliance."

UCF regulation compliance information is prepared and reviewed by Latham & Watkins, an international law firm with over 2,100 lawyers in 12 countries, including 10 offices in the U.S.

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About Network Frontiers
Since 1992, Network Frontiers has been at the forefront of IT best practices and authored numerous books, including The Compliance Book and the award-winning Backup Book: Disaster Recovery from Desktop to Data Center. The content and methodology of the Unified Compliance Framework is the result of Network Frontiers' in-depth understanding of IT regulations and standards as well as real-world experience consulting for clients, publications, and vendors in the mission-critical IT arena. For more information, visit http://www.netfrontiers.com.

About the UCF
The Unified Compliance Framework is the first independent initiative to exclusively support IT compliance management by focusing on commonalities across regulations, standards-based development, and simplified architectures. Unified Compliance's strategic approach to IT compliance reduces cost and limits liability. The UCF's strategic approach simplifies compliance and standards, reduces cost, limits liability, and leverages the value of compliance-related technologies through a harmonized set of controls against which all regulatory standards and best practices can be mapped.

The UCF was created by Dorian Cougias and his research partner, Marcelo Halpern of the international law firm Latham and Watkins, which oversees all legal aspects of the UCF. More information can be found at <>.

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