Top Ways to Destroy Your Hard Drive

When it comes to keeping sensitive data out of the wrong hands, the best way to keep old data secure is to destroy it. Companies, in particular, have access to identifying and personal information from both customers and employees. As a result, it is up to the company to keep this information secure, even when there is no longer any use for it. The best way to go about keeping this information secure is by professionally destroying the data. The best way to go about this is by destroying the hard drive. So you want to know how to destroy a hard drive?

One way that data can be destroyed from a hard drive is through a process known as “wiping” a hard drive. In this process, a code is used to write and rewrite over the data so many times so that the original data eventually becomes unreadable. The software will permanently destroy all old information on the hard drive since it will no longer be readable. Another option that can be used is a degausser system. When a degausser is used, a high-intensity magnet is used that scrambles the magnetic strip that is used to store information on the hard drive. While this system works to destroy a hard drive and all data stored on it, it can be quite costly. As a result, if a company has many hard drives to destroy, it might not be the most efficient option.

A third option that is the most effective way to destroy a hard drive is through the physical destruction of the hard drive. Some people might think that merely taking a hammer to a hard drive might do the job. This, however, is not the case. Even if the outer part of the drive is crushed and the internal memory platters remain even semi-intact, the data may still be restored from the drive. The only way to know for sure that your data and the hard drive is destroyed is to do so professionally where the hard drive is mostly pulverized. This is the most efficient and foolproof way to destroy a hard drive.