Hard drive shredding and NIST 800-88 data destruction in Kansas

Why data destruction matters

A retired laptop or server is a data breach waiting to happen. Deleting files or reformatting a drive leaves data recoverable with free tools. Kansas has a data breach notification law, and organizations in regulated industries also answer to HIPAA, GLBA, FERPA, PCI DSS and their own customers. The safest path is a documented process that ends with either a verified wipe or a physically destroyed drive.

NIST 800-88 erasure

NIST Special Publication 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, is the standard most auditors and security teams reference. It describes three levels: clear, purge and destroy. For working hard drives and SSDs, we use software erasure that meets the NIST 800-88 purge and clear methods, then verify the result. Verified drives can be reused, which keeps equipment out of the shredder and returns value to you.

In-house shredding with the HSM HDS 150

Some drives fail erasure, and some policies simply require destruction. For those, we use our in-house HSM HDS 150 hard drive shredder. Keeping the shredder in-house means drives do not get handed off to another company before they are destroyed, which shortens the chain of custody. Shredded material then goes to certified downstream recycling to recover metals.

Chain of custody

Data devices are counted and recorded at pickup, sealed for transport, and tracked to erasure or shredding. Your certificate of data destruction lists each serial number, the method used and the date. Together with your asset report, that record is what you need for audits, insurance and compliance files.

Who uses this service

Hospitals and clinics, banks and credit unions, insurers, law firms, manufacturers, state and local agencies, and school districts all across Kansas. We pick up in Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, KS, Topeka, Olathe, Lawrence and statewide. Our work is R2v3 certified and we hold ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.

Media we handle

• Hard drives and SSDs, including loose drives and drives inside computers and servers
• Phones and tablets
• Backup tapes and removable media
• Storage arrays and network devices with stored configurations

Erase or shred: how to choose

Erasure and shredding both protect data. The difference is what happens to the hardware. Verified NIST 800-88 erasure keeps a drive usable, which supports reuse and can return value through an upfront buy or 70% of total sales. Shredding destroys the drive completely, which some policies require for classified, medical or highly sensitive data. Many organizations use both: erase working drives from standard laptops and shred drives from servers, finance systems or medical devices.

We will follow your written policy. If you do not have one, we can explain the options and help you choose an approach your auditors will accept. Call (888) 899-8896 to talk it through.

On-site counts, off-site destruction

Many clients want to see their drives counted before they leave the building. Our crew records serial numbers on site, and you can sign the pickup record that matches the count. Drives are then sealed for transport and destroyed or erased at our facility. If you need witnessed destruction, call us to discuss how we can document it for your records, including photos or video of the shredding run.

Frequently asked questions