Digital storage needs maximum protection.With high storage capacities and many different types of information stored together, digital media are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse. Modern hard disk drives or magnetic storage tapes such as LTO or QIC can contain millions of written pages, together with other confidential information. All of this information is typically secured during use. But after the information is no longer in use, merely deleting all the files does not solve the problem. Most deleted information can easily be restored.
Spot tests made on disposed computers and hard disk drives showed that more than 80% of all tested hard disk drives had never been deleted and still contained personal data – and worse, roughly 50% of this data was hazardous!
Degaussing – a form of demagnetizing – is the process wherein a magnetic object, such as a computer tape, hard disk drive, or CRT monitor, is exposed to a magnetic field of greater, fluctuating intensity. A degausser is the machine that produces this intense magnetic field. When exposed to a fluctuating magnetic field produced by a degausser, the magnetic charge of an object is reset to a magnetically neutral state.
How does a Degausser work?
Degaussers rely on APT (Advanced Pulse TechnologyTM). During the erase an effective quick burst generates a strong and powerful pulse. At the same time an erasing field many times stronger than those produced by the read/write heads in hard drives and tape drives is generated. The field strength of degausser destroys the magnetic structure and ensures that the data are no longer recoverable by computer or laboratory attacks. Since the technology does not rely on software, it will also completely and permanently erase failed and damaged hard drives regardless of the operating system or interface. Built-in safeguards check the stored power before each erase cycle, ensuring complete erasure every time. A field strength meter, audible tones and lighted push buttons report the status of the degausser to the user.
SRC: Intimus.com
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