HDD Destroyers

10:13 am Heidi White

HDD Destroyers

SEM HDD destroyers provide secure physical destruction, which is the premier option for the destruction of data on magnetic media. There are two methods: crushing and shredding.

SEM hard drive crushers use a combination of extreme force and a conical steel punch to pierce, bend, and mangle hard drive housings and platters beyond physical repair. Choose from manual (no power required) or automatic hydraulic units. All SEM crushers are made in the USA.

SEM offers more than 10 models of hard drive shredders with capacities up to 3,500 drives per hour, with waste particle size options depending on the compliance regulation. All SEM hard drive shredders are compliant for the physical destruction of HDDs, after degaussing, as notated on the NSA/CSS Evaluated Products List for HDD destruction devices, and are an approved solution for the “deformation of magnetic media hard drive platters.”

Typically, crushers are used in lower volume applications of less than 100 drives per day. Shredders are larger, faster machines that can be operated continuously over a long period of time, making them ideal for higher volume destruction applications including data centers.

For most magnetic media, a crusher or shredder used on its own is acceptable. However, for additional security, drives must be degaussed prior to crushing or shredding. This two-step approach to data sanitization is mandated by the Department of Defense for classified data, and security-focused data centers also implement this best practice for end-of-life data destruction.