Wisetek. Nationwide Hard Drive Degaussing
Wisetek provides a secure, certified hard drive degausser service to meet your organization’s needs.
13.7M
Disk drives erased, certified and destroyed
19.2M
Parts recorded and processed
$1.75B
Components Recovered and Reused
WHY CHOOSE WISETEK
FOR HARD Deggaussing?
National
Coverage
Wherever you operate within the United States, Wisetek provides complete coverage. Our American office locations and mobile fleet of data destruction vehicles can serve your organization from coast to coast.
Full ITAD
Solutions
Shredding, degaussing, disintegration, and crushing/punching are all ideal methods of secure data destruction, but they are best complemented in tandem with a comprehensive suite of ITAD solutions from Wisetek.
Create an Effective CSR Strategy
Environmental waste issues are a major area of public debate, with many businesses coming under scrutiny for wasteful processes. Formulate a CSR strategy that works by choosing Wisetek for certified recycling and safe disposal of IT assets.
Your Trust
is Our Goal
Wisetek provides clients with transparent processes, full audit trails, and certificates of destruction. We also provide in-person and video verification of our data destruction processes so you can be assured that your data is safe.
Be Wholly and
Effortlessly Compliant
Over half of all states have data disposal laws, which can be stringent and result in fines or penalties for non-compliance. Keep your organization fully compliant with Wisetek’s ITAD services.
Flexible Pricing to Suit Your Business
Flexible payment and pricing plans are a great benefit to your business since you’ll receive exactly the solutions you require. Every business has its own unique needs when it comes to ITAD, so take advantage of Wisetek’s flexible pricing.
What is Hard Drive Degaussing?
Hard drive degaussing is a process whereby powerful magnets are used to scramble all data stored on magnetic media such as hard disk drive (HDD) technology. Magnetic storage media contain moving parts, one of which is a small disc, the platter, which stores all data on the hard drive. When exposed to strong magnetic forces, all data stored on the platter is rendered completely useless. Degaussing is amongst the most efficient means of securely destroying sensitive data stored on magnetic media, but it may not work on alternate forms of media such as solid-state drives and many older tape media formats. In these cases, other methods of secure data destruction are required.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT HARD DRIVE DEGAUSSING
Quality is Critical
Many commercial-grade hard drive degaussers are unable to reach the intensity of magnetic forces required to guarantee assured destruction of sensitive data on magnetic media. That’s why Wisetek uses only NSA-grade hard drive degaussing equipment to thoroughly destroy all sensitive data on magnetic media.
Secure Data Destruction
Many other forms of data destruction exist, but shredding remains one of the most popular since the results speak for themselves. Wisetek’s hard drive shredding process turns hard drives into 10mm pieces, or even 2mm if required, making the final product essentially dust.
Time and Cost Savings
Most shredders are capable of processing anywhere from 500 to 3,500 hard drives per hour. It also happens to be cost-effective when compared to other methods such as melting in acid or manual destruction.
Leave Hard Drive degaussing to the Experts
Although hard drive degaussers can be purchased for use within organizations, there are a number of problems and risks associated with doing it yourself. Firstly, there’s no guarantee of a secure audit trail. Also, commercial hard drive degausser equipment often fails to achieve sufficient magnetic forces to ensure that all data stored on magnetic devices is completely erased.
Wisetek has been a global leader in ITAD services, including hard drive degaussing, since 2007. Our certifications are internationally-recognized and our processes follow a strict audit trail, resulting in quality service within the United States and worldwide.
Risks of Data Breaches
Hard drives that have been degaussed show no signs of physical damage, which means that inadequate quality hard drive degaussing may leave retrievable data should a thief ever get their hands on the drive later. NSA-approved degaussers are always recommended to prevent the loss of data, potentially resulting in a major data breach.The average size of a data breach is 25,575 records. Consider that the cost can reach millions in damage, remediation, and the subsequent investigation, totalling $8.19 million or more in the United States.Data breaches are a serious concern that will likely only grow in the coming years. Eliminate a major source of data breaches with professional degaussing and ITAD services from Wisetek.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it takes to degauss a harddrive?
Depending on the degausser, a hard drive can be degaussed in anywhere from 5 seconds to a full minute. Bigger, more powerful degaussers such as those used by Wisetek can process a large quantity in little time, whereas smaller commercially-sold degaussers often take significantly longer.
Can degaussers erase SSDs?
No. Since solid-state media contains no moving parts as with hard disk drives (HDDs), degaussing will not erase data stored on them. SSDs store media via flash memory, meaning that shredding, disintegration, or crushing/punching are better methods of secure data destruction.
Is degaussing secure?
In terms of data destruction, degaussers are not a guaranteed solution unless they meet industry standards or NSA approval as in the case of Wisetek’s degaussers. This is because degaussers must achieve sufficient magnetic intensity to scramble data held on magnetic media. A household refrigerator magnet, for example, simply won’t have any effect nor will lesser-quality deggausers.
How does degaussing coil works?
Typical hard drives operate with metal components coated in chromium or iron oxide, which store information on the drive. A coil at the head of the hard drive sends electric pulses through the drive, thereby magnetizing the metal. Data is stored by the positioning of the metal coating in binary.
The powerful magnetic force of a degausser coil demagnetizes the data storage altogether and renders it completely unusable and thus all data becomes irretrievable.
Is degaussing the final stage of data destruction?
Hard drives that have been degaussed are essentially useless, so yes, the data is completely destroyed. Nevertheless, the NSA recommends that degaussed hard drives are physically crushed or destroyed for both peace of mind as well as to process the hard drives for recycling purposes.
