20 Sep
Comments Off on Understanding Secure Erase Features
Data security is a top priority for everyone who uses electronic devices. For industrial customers, this need looms particularly large. Being able to completely wipe drives of data is essential, especially on devices that contain sensitive information, such as those used in military applications. Secure Erase is a feature that was initially designed for HDDs, or hard disk drives. However, it can also be used with solid state drives, or SSDs, which are now more common. Secure Erase completely wipes clean all of the data found on a drive and does not allow that data to be retrieved. It is a permanent solution that provides the maximum level of security for sensitive data that must be erased.
How Secure Erase Works
Many people try to erase data by moving files to the recycle bin or trash can on their device, but that does not fully erase the files. Although the files may not be visible in your folders any more after this action, they are still recoverable on your device.
Secure Erase is different. It completely overwrites all of the data on your drive, making the data impossible to recover. It works by writing a binary one or zero over each piece of data in the drive, and because it is programmed into the firmware, the internal monitoring system will flag any missed write operations and ensure they are completed. As such, when the Secure Erase process is performed, you can be confident that is has worked completely and that the files are thoroughly written over. It is impossible to recover any of the previous data using data recovery software.
Secure Erase is part of all SSDs that have PATA or SATA firmware. It is important to note that Secure Erase can only be used to scrub data from the entire drive. If you need to permanently delete individual files without wiping the whole drive, you will need to also have a file shredding software system.
Who Can Benefit from Secure Erase
Secure Erase is a feature that can benefit anyone who stores data on a SATA SSD, but those who have industrial grade devices may find this feature particularly useful. With an industrial device, the stored data may contain sensitive customer, financial, or security information. When it becomes necessary to get rid of the drive, using Secure Erase to ensure it is wiped clean will prevent this information from being leaked.
Let Delkin help you make the right choices about your device security. We’re available to answer your questions about Secure Erase and other options for keeping your data on industrial storage devices safe.
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