The advantages of using a Hard Drive Crusher
Computers are an integral part of modern life and we all know the wide range of ways in which we use them. The problem comes when the computer reaches the end of it’s useful life and it is time to dispose of it or send it for professional recycling. Packed on your Hard Drive inside your computer or laptop is an abundance of data, much, if not all of which is information you would not like others to have access to. It is essential therefore that you have procedures for the secure destruction of data prior to computer disposal.
There are a number of ways to destroy a hard drive including erasing, shredding and wiping, but for the purposes of this article we shall consider the use of a Hard Drive Crusher.
What is a Hard Drive and why use a Hard Drive Crusher?
A Hard drive (sometimes abbreviated as HD or HDD) is a non-volatile memory hardware device which permanently stores and retrieves information.There are many variations, but their sizes are generally 3.5″ and 2.5″ for desktop and laptop computers respectively. A hard drive consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing. Hard Drives may be either internal or external but both types can be used to store just about any kind of data be it music, pictures, text, software programmes etc. This data is written to the part of the Hard Drive called the Platter.
It is the Platter that is the target for the Hard Drive Crusher to physically damage beyond repair such that it cannot be put back into a computer and still accessed. A solution such as the Crunch 250 is a perfect example of a specially designed machine capable of destroying a hard drive in just 9 seconds. A desktop, office friendly machine such as this is a good solution for processing any number of Hard Drives as it is easy to operate and quick to use. You can easily crush 250 Hard drives in an hour with a Crunch 250. It can be installed in any office, and by being used “in-house” it negates the need to send your hard drives off site and entrust your precious data to third parties. It also provides an ongoing solution so that you don’t have to gather up large numbers of drives and store them while you wait for a mobile crushing service truck to make an appointment.
Is there anything better than a Hard Drive Crusher?
While for some industries simply crushing the hard drive is sufficient evidence that their data is no longer accessible to prying eyes, for some data users an even more robust solution is required.
VS Security Products manufacture a range of degaussers which can be used to remove user data and servo control data from hard drives before they are processed by the Hard Drive Crusher. Manual degaussers such as the V660 HDD Evo allow you to erase up to 20 hard drives every hour whilst an automatic degausser such as the DataGone can erase up to 200 every hour.
Whether your business requires just crushing, or prefers to degauss and crush, VS Security Products offers an extra tool for ultimate assurance that your responsibilities with regards to data destruction have been fully met and that is its unique Data Destruction Auditor system. This is a program which can be linked to your Hard Drive Crusher and it will provide you with recorded and printable evidence of all the media you have destroyed.
In Summary:
A Hard Drive Crusher is a very effective, simple and quick method to destroy hard drives without them leaving your premises. It may be enough for your needs on its own or it can be joined with a degausser and a Data Destruction Auditor system to provide true peace of mind for the security conscious computer user.