By Eric Hjerstedt Sharp
The County Journal
Last Updated: Thursday, September 01st, 2005 07:37:39 PM
IRON RIVER – Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Secretary Lorrie Keating Heinemann met with Digital Data Destruction (D3) officials here Wednesday to discuss how her office and the State of Wisconsin could aid the young company in finding a major bank to start using its security services which destroy sensitive digital data.
State Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) also stopped by the D3 offices.
Situated next to White Winter Winery as the other major tenant at the business incubator adjacent to Bayfield Electric Cooperative on U. S. Hwy. 2; D3 was one of several companies visited by state administrators who came up to visit northern Wisconsin as part of Gov. Jim Doyle’s Northern Tour.
Iron River fared well attracting the attention of administrators, who came to discuss economic development policy and tour facilities. Earlier in the day, Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Jorge Gomez visited Security State Bank and staffers also visited White Winter Winery twice during the week-long trip.
The company, which was started last year by parent company CD-ROM, Inc. CEO Roger Hutchison, recently announced its newest product, the DX-CD2, a light-weight digital data destroyer which now enables individuals and small companies the capability of destroying their own data, rather than sending the discs to the Iron River facility as larger corporations with more discs do.
Hutchison and D3 Plant Manager Mike Martino met with Heinemann for about an hour, showing her how their products worked and discussing applications which both the heavy duty manual product and the new light-weight DX-CD2 could carry out in terms of security for hospitals, software companies and — of particular relevance in regards to the State of Wisconsin’s Finance Department — banking.
“You’re exactly the person we want to talk to,” Hutchison said. “If we want to bend anyone’s ear, it’s yours.
Hutchison said recent federal legislation such as FACTA, Graham-Leach-Bliley and other recent laws requires banks and other companies to thoroughly dispose of customers’ proprietary information. His company, he added, can do just that.
According to Hutchison, D3 will be attending two trade shows in the near future: the Wisconsin Bankers Association and the American Society for Industrial Security in Orlando, Fla. Here they will demonstrate the DX-CD2 to banks and other financial institutions.
The company already does work for the Department of Defense by destroying highly-classified data on compact disks. According to Hutchison, the manual version of the product —the first one D3 came out with — is a manual version made for the deployed military to destroy data immediately in the field. That product is made in Spooner, he added.
Because of the security clearance required through such agencies as the FBI and the Office of Homeland Security with regards to the manual product, the company did not advertise as much for uses with the general public. Now, with the DX-CD2, however, small companies and even individuals are potential customers for D3.
“We definitely want the publicity,” Huchinson said.
Heinemann, who worked in the banking industry before heading the Department of Financial Institutions, wants to help the Iron River company, and said she will inform some of the contacts she has with agencies such as the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to get the word out on the unique services D3 provides companies with electronic security issues.
The concept of “Best safe practices” which D3 employs with regard to “all electronic media” is another reason concerned companies should use D3’s services, Hutchison added.
Meanwhile, Hutchison said he plans on keeping in contact with Heinemann and following up on potential leads she mentioned during her visit.
Hutchison already wants to expand the company, and build a larger facility nearby, possibly as early as next year.
“We’re going to stay in Iron River,” Hutchison said.
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