Leasing a laptop is a convenient option in many scenarios. Many people opt for leasing if they have a temporary need for a system or if they wish to try a product before deciding to buy it. There are many situations in which leasing a laptop is preferable than purchasing. Consider the present COVID scenario; the production of new laptops has taken a drastic hit, and the lockdown imposed in many countries has impaired the entire supply chain (from manufacturing to delivery). It has led to a shortage of supply and yet demand is high, as more and more people are working from home now. Leasing, therefore, becomes a viable option.
Let us consider the two key benefits of leasing a laptop:
a. Staying up to date: Leasing a laptop allows you to use the latest product in the market and try out new features. Especially for tech enthusiasts, leasing is a great way to test, program, and explore new products before making a purchase decision.
b. Cost-effective: Leasing a laptop costs less than buying a laptop upfront. This is especially convenient if you are planning to use the laptop for a short term. Leasing will save the unnecessary cost of buying a brand new laptop; and you can return the laptop when the job is done.
Now that we have discussed the benefits of leasing a laptop, there are a few things you should keep in mind before returning the leased laptop.
1) Save a copy of your data
The first step before you decide to return the laptop is to save your data stored in the device. It is a simple yet essential step. You have used the laptop for a while, and you have probably stored some essential items, which you don’t want to lose. There are three simple ways to save your data before returning the laptop:
a. Transfer your contents into an external hard drive: Transfer the contents of your laptop to an external hard drive. This way, a local copy of your data will be saved which you can access on any system.
b. Transfer your data to Cloud: Cloud is another platform where you can store your data. Cloud gives you the flexibility of accessing your data from any device. Once you transfer data to the Cloud, it becomes the cloud service provider’s responsibility to take care of your data along with providing cybersecurity services. Coming to options, you can either upload your content to Windows One Drive or choose a third-party provider. One Drive is a Windows cloud storage platform that stores your information in its secure servers.. Please note that in One Drive, you can only store up to 5GB of data for free. If you wish to upload more data, then you need to purchase a subscription plan.
Apart from OneDrive, there are much third-party software such as Dropbox, Sync, Zoho Docs, etc. that offer cloud storage. They upload your content in their servers, and you can access it from any device or any location. These are usually paid services, so please evaluate the plans before purchasing.
2. Wipe the contents of the laptop completely
After you have made the backup, it is essential to wipe the contents of your laptop permanently. The leased laptop will now be in someone else’s hands, and if they gain access to your private data, it might spell trouble for you.
People generally choose to format the laptop’s hard drive at this stage. Formatting appears to clear the data, and you assume that the job is done. However, this is just a myth. Your data just disappears from immediate view, but is still present in the laptop as ‘unallocated files’.
Consider a scenario here.
You format the leased laptop before returning it to the provider. The person who gets hold of your laptop runs a data recovery software and recovers your entire data. They now have access to your personal, professional, and financial data, and the consequences can be severely damaging if they decide to use them against you.
The obvious question now is, how can you permanently erase the contents of the laptop?
A file erasure software comes to the rescue in such situation. It works by overwriting on top of your data, once or multiple times. This way, it destroys the data, in a way that no data recovery tool will be able to recover it. This is why you should only rely on File Erasure software to ensure that your data is wiped permanently from a leased laptop.
One of the most trusted file erasure software in the market is Stellar File Eraser. It securely wipes the contents of your leased laptop and assures you of a permanent erasure.
Stellar File Eraser is a DIY tool, which securely erases files, folders, application traces, Internet histories etc. from your PC and Mac. It comprehensively destroys any content that is in the laptop and gives you total peace of mind against unauthorized use of your data.
3. Software and condition of the laptop
Whenever you lease a laptop, the OS and software come preloaded. If the lease cost includes the cost of software, then you can use it after the lease period too. Please arrange this with the lessor.
Another important aspect is to return the leased laptop in a clean and presentable state. Plus, if there has been a hardware damage during the lease period then you should get it fixed. If you return the laptop in a damaged/distorted state, then the provider can levy a fine on you, or he might ask you to purchase the laptop altogether.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we discussed the benefits of leasing a laptop and things you should keep in mind while returning a leased laptop. These best practices would help you maintain control over your data and ensure that they don’t fall into the wrong hands. The best way to accomplish this is to perform permanent data deletion using a file erasure software like Stellar File Eraser which cansecurely and permanently wipe the content of your leased laptop and ensure that the privacy of your data isn’t compromised.
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