What’s the best in-house hard drive destruction for today’s drives?

The most commonly used hard drives in today’s computing world are the 3.5”, 2.5”, and 1.8” form factor drives. In fact, they represent over 95% of the drives being used in today’s offices. Larger drives only represent a small portion of the drives that are in use today. So what is the best method of hard drive destruction?

Until recent years, a practical solution for in-house destruction was not available other than deleting software, drilling holes in the drives, burning, or other methods that are not very practical and did not guarantee any level of security. From a security standpoint, there is no substitute to controlling your own IT destruction program in-house, especially if user-friendly, affordable equipment is available that can be utilized by IT personnel.

Crush a Drive. Use an SEM Model 0101.

This device represents final destruction for some companies while other high security government organizations use them to disable drives after they have been magnetically degaussed to NSA standards. The Model 0101 takes up very little space (22” h x 10”w x 19” d) and can easily be transported to other locations. A deployment case is available for easy transport. The method of destruction is a hardened, pointed conical punch that comes in contact with the drive with 12,000 lbs. of force, causing trauma to the drive chassis and internal platter. The process takes about 10 seconds. While it sounds kind of menacing, this unit is actually quiet, safe, and requires minimal maintenance. It is also very affordable and ideal for in-house destruction.

Hard Drive Shredding. Try an SEM Hard Drive Shedder.

Several years ago, the average hard drive shredder needed its own building! It was so big that it was only practical for most organizations to use an outside destruction service or salvage company when HDD’s needed to be shredded. Nowadays, there are plenty of options. When volume or total destruction is needed, the SEM hard drive shredder series is your best solution. These units have amazing destructive power with a very small footprint. They will destroy from 500-3,500 drives per hour and power consumption is minimal. They are quiet, compact, and built to last. Numerous safety features are incorporated into the design. Maintenance is minimal and can be done by your own company personnel or by PM contract with the manufacturer.

What is Magnetic Degaussing?

Degaussing is a method for destroying hard drives that utilizes powerful magnets. The SEM Model EMP1000-HS meets NSA EPL (Evaluated Products List) guidelines for destroying classified drives. Other commercial grade degausses are also available from SEM. All units are extremely safe, compact, and very practical for in-house destruction. All degaussers can also be bundled with HDD shredders or crushers if drives need to be destroyed after magnetic erasure as required by NSA.

For more information, Please visit www.semshred.com or call us at 800-225-9292 to speak to your representative.