How to Choose a Secure Data Erasure Solution?

Summary: Data erasure or data wiping depends on software to completely overwrite the data so that the original contents are not retrievable by any means. It has to be irreversible and has to go far beyond normal data deletion, which is the mere removal of pointers to the disk sectors where the data resides. We describe data erasure and then explain what features a secure data erasure solution must have.

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Data erasure or data wiping depends on software to completely overwrite the data so that the original contents are not retrievable by any means. It has to be irreversible and has to go far beyond normal data deletion, which is the mere removal of pointers to the disk sectors where the data resides.

We describe data erasure and then explain what features a secure data erasure solution must have.

Table of Contents

• Importance of data erasure
• How to choose the right data erasure software
• Certified data eraser software
• Final thoughts

Why is Data Erasure Important?

You require a secure data erasure solution for three reasons, each of which is equally important.

1. Security

We store everything on mass storage media—card numbers, documents, business forecasts, sensitive emails, medical records, and financial data.

A breach is damaging. For an individual, it might lead to identity theft and someone moving liquid assets to another account. For a business, it might prove disastrous if its plans are exposed to rivals.

According to IBM, the cost of a data breach in the USA is a staggering $9.4 million.

When you dispose of storage media such as hard drives and SSDs, they must be cleaned beforehand by a secure data erasure solution.

2. Data Protection Laws

Data security laws have become commonplace. The most well-known is GDPR. It can cause a fine that runs into millions.

Violation of HIPAA compliance can cost $50000 per instance. Similarly, breaking PCi-DSS can lead to fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not only US and EU, but every nation is framing some sort of data protection law. You need to comply with them or face stringent action. Only a secure data erasure solution can offer you that assurance.

3. Going Green

It would be quite easy to pound every hard disk several times with a hammer. Physical destruction is a foolproof way to achieve data destruction.

But almost 50 million tons of e-waste are generated every year and total unprocessed e-waste amounts to 340 million tons. E-waste scrap pollutes the water, soil, and air. We need to reduce our consumption and reusing old HDDs is a great way to start.

Choosing the Right Data Erasure Software

It would be best if you are absolutely sure that the data in an HDD is destroyed before you hand it over to a reseller. Here is a guide to choosing the best data eraser solution.

What you need is a robust, reliable, and secure data erasure solution.

What are the features you must look for?

1. Uses new technology

Any data eraser software that wants to do its job must tap into the latest technology. It is essential that it can write on every sector, including those hidden sectors that are reserved for file tables and similar purposes.

Moreover, it has to perform its task of erasure and verification quickly.

If it takes hours to erase a 2 TB hard drive, it is tiresome. Imagine wiping 50 hard drives and 70 TB if each takes a day.

Verify that the software is supported and regularly updated to keep up with evolving drive technologies.

2. Remote wiping enabled

Times have changed and so has work culture. At one time, employees used to work at desktops from the office. Now remote work has become the accepted norm.

One employee might be in Bangalore, India, and the other in Tucson, Arizona.

Remote data wiping capabilities are necessary to remove data from hard drives and USB sticks located off the premises.

3. Certified and guaranteed

Data erasure software must be certified by various governing bodies, including NIST (USA), HIPAA (USA), Common Criteria (31 nations), ANSSI (France), BSI (Germany), NYCE (Mexico), etc.

At the very least, NIST 800-88, EU GDPR, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS certifications are necessary.

The developers of a secure data erasure solution must also provide assurance that their software works as advertised.

Unlike other software tools (antivirus, graphic design) the result of their work is only visible through an electron microscope. Thus, their own guarantee matters.

4. Affordable to own

A medium-sized enterprise can easily own 700-1000 hard drives (500 spread among various employees as laptops, desktops, and external drives and another 200 for data backup of these 500). A large one will have thousands.

Assuming they have a life of four years, at least 200 HDDs will be wiped and donated/resold every year. Unless the erasure program is affordable, it is hardly viable.

Data destruction should save resources, not spend them.

If the software is available for 10 wipes, it barely scratches the surface. When choosing the best data eraser solution be aware of this aspect.

5. Works across devices

Laptops running Windows and Mac, tablets running Windows, Android, and Mac, Microsoft Surface Pro and similar devices, old-fashioned desktops and workstations, NAS, SAN, and rack-mounted servers running UNIX.

The number and type of computing devices and the software environment they use are proliferating.

To top it off, the interface might be PATA on an old desktop, NVME on the latest laptop, RAID on servers, and SATA everywhere else.

One software has to wipe all of them clean.

6. Audit trail

The last but most significant.

You need to have proof that you securely erased data.

It’s not enough to be NIST compliant, but an audit trail is required.

The data erasure software must generate a paper trail (actually perhaps a PDF trail) that you can use to demonstrate that there was no data breach from your organization.

BitRaser Drive Eraser – an Ideal Solution

BitRaser Drive Eraser Software is a NIST-certified software that checks all the boxes and more. At Stellar we have developed the best data eraser solution.

Let’s look at its features.

• Wipes data in accordance with 24 global standards, e.g. EU GDPR, NIST 800-88, British HMG InfoSec, US DOD 5220, and many more.
• Erases hidden areas in the hard disk, such as HPA and DCO.
• Works with every type of interface – SATA, PATA, SSD, NVMe, PCI, SAS, SCSI, and Fiber Channel.
• Boots from USB and can simultaneously erase 32 devices.
• Erases data from HDD, SSD, memory card, USB, and every type of storage media.
• Works on both 32 and 64-bit operating systems.
• Cloud integration for account management and generation of reports.
• Complete and detailed reports that provide a paper trail with every detail and signature of the operator.
• Tamper-proof certificates in PDF, CSV, and XML.

Last Words

NIST tested the BitRaser in 2021. It has also been tested by Kroll Ontrack. We do not claim wildly when we say it is the best data eraser solution.

If you are planning to do a data eraser, Stellar BitRaser offers you peace of mind. When choosing the best data eraser solution, look no further.

Before you sell old IT assets, perform a wipe with Stellar BitRaser Drive Eraser and you will never have to worry anymore.