A drive is a liability until it is a certificate.
Every data-bearing device is either purged to NIST SP 800-88 and verified, or physically destroyed, and each one is listed by serial on a certificate. We do it at our facility or on your dock, and you can watch either way.
The right method depends on the media.
"Shred everything" is a policy, not a method. It destroys value that a verified purge would have kept, and for some media it isn't enough on its own. Here's what NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 calls for, media by media.
- To keep the device
- Purge: overwrite, or degauss
- To destroy it
- Shred to 2 mm
- Why
- Magnetic platters. Overwrite with verification is sufficient for resale; degaussing destroys the drive; shredding is final.
- Resale
- Reused if purge verifies
- To keep the device
- Purge: cryptographic erase or sanitize command
- To destroy it
- Disintegrate to 2 mm
- Why
- Overwriting is unreliable on flash because of wear levelling. Use the controller's sanitize or crypto erase, then verify. Destruction must break the flash chips themselves, not just the board.
- Resale
- Reused if purge verifies
- To keep the device
- Purge: encrypted factory reset, MDM released
- To destroy it
- Shred whole device
- Why
- Modern phones are encrypted by default, so a verified reset removes the key. Devices still locked to an MDM or account cannot be resold and are destroyed.
- Resale
- Reused if unlocked
- To keep the device
- Clear: config erase and reset to defaults
- To destroy it
- Shred boards and flash
- Why
- Switches and firewalls hold configs, keys and credentials in flash. They are erased and verified before resale, or the boards destroyed.
- Resale
- Usually reused
- To keep the device
- Degauss (tape)
- To destroy it
- Shred or pulverize
- Why
- LTO tape can be degaussed, which also destroys it. Optical media has to be physically destroyed.
- Resale
- Never reused
Data Sanitization & Destruction
Job IB-26418
Issued 18 Sep 2026
- Customer
- Specimen Health Partners
- Collected
- 11 Sep 2026 · Seal 0048812
- Standard
- NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1
- Devices
- 412 · 488 media
- Purged & verified
- 297 media
- Destroyed
- 191 media · 2 mm
| Serial | Asset tag | Media | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5CG3-41KQ | SHP-00913 | SSD 512 GB | Purge · crypto erase | Verified |
| WX72-A1D9 | SHP-01144 | SAS 2.4 TB | Destroy · shred | 2 mm |
| S6B9-NF0R | SHP-01145 | NVMe 1.92 TB | Destroy · disintegrate | 2 mm |
| PF3Z-8M2L | SHP-00277 | SSD 256 GB | Purge · crypto erase | Verified |
| ZA1K-77TQ | SHP-02031 | HDD 1 TB | Purge · overwrite | Verified |
| 9QK2-H4XE | — | MFP HDD 320 GB | Destroy · shred | 2 mm |
Specimen — not a real customer or transaction. Page 1 of 9.
Every serial. Every method. Signed.
The certificate lists each device by serial and asset tag, with the method applied and the result. Where you had a witness, they sign too. It reconciles line by line against your asset register.
- Issued within five business days of collection
- PDF with a verification number, and CSV for your CMDB
- Video of destruction available on request
When it cannot leave the building
For regulated environments the shredder comes to you. Drives are destroyed at your loading dock, under your camera, with your staff watching, and the certificate is issued before the truck leaves. Nothing data-bearing crosses your property line intact.
- Mobile shredder on a box truck, fits a standard loading dock
- Around 500 drives an hour, including SSDs, phones and tape
- Serial capture and certificate issued on site
Watch it happen, anywhere
Book a slot at our Oakland facility and your security officer can watch the shred through the viewing window, then sign the certificate. Remote witnessing by live video is available when travel isn't practical.
Our certifications and permitsIT asset disposition
Collect, wipe, remarket and certify. Value back to you, serial by serial.
Learn moreData center decommissioning
De-rack, de-cable, remove and restore a hall or a closet to lease condition.
Learn moreE-waste recycling
Everything without a resale market, recycled to zero landfill with named outlets.
Learn moreDecommissioning something with drives in it?
Tell us the count and the deadline. We will confirm the method, the date and whether it happens on your dock or ours.