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Your Ultimate Guide for Onsite Hard Drive Degaussing

Amanda Shaw • Dec 23, 2022

Unfortunately, the primary reason for privacy risks is that people think wiping a hard drive is enough to make all the personal data no longer recoverable. Well, that isn't correct. Just wiping the hard drive is not enough to make the stored data completely unusable, eliminating potential identity theft and financial fraud. So, what must individuals and companies do to secure a safe and proper hard drive disposal? One of the most guaranteed ways for successful disposal is the onsite hard drive degaussing. It is a popular solution for hard drive disposal by destroying the confidential data stored.

Experts degauss the hard drive utilizing massive pulses of powerful magnetic energy that can instantly destroy data without any issues. There's no doubt that degaussing is an excellent means of protecting valuable and confidential information from any hacker and thief. Additionally, onsite hard drive degaussing is better than off-site degaussing when it comes to convenience. To be more specific, onsite hard drive degaussing is when the computer service company destroys the media right away at your business place. So, there's no need to trouble transporting the hard drive, which happens to the off-site degaussing.

Clearly, there's much more convenience choosing onsite degaussing than off-site. However, it doesn't mean the off-site is a bad choice. Although off-site hard drive degaussing has its own perks, it is a much preferable option if you demand more security and want to overview and observe the whole process. In that way, you can be more at ease that your personal data is completely unrecoverable and useless to others. Obviously, hard drive degaussing is a must disposal process for hard drive because not doing it awaits catastrophic consequences in your information that you surely don't want to happen.

Undeniably, there are other methods of data destruction process you can choose besides degaussing. After all, destroying hard drives is highly beneficial. So, what makes degaussing the best disposal option? There is no need to explore further for the answer because you can discover that below. Thus, read on to learn more.

hard drive disposal

Why Choose Degaussing Over Other Hard Drive Disposal Methods?

Surely, you will not need to doubt choosing to degauss a hard drive when you know the significant differences of degaussing from other methods. Along with the difference, you will also learn the best edge of degaussing from other data sanitization processes. Explore below:

Degaussing vs. Overwriting

Undeniably, overwriting a hard drive is also a clean method for data erasure. Just like degaussing, it is a process powered by electricity. It means that overwriting a hard drive doesn't produce any hazardous components. Thus, there is no issue choosing overwriting when considering the environment.

The primary flaw with overwriting is that it can take from long hours to days, even with just disposing of a single hard drive. With that being said, degaussing is the better option since it is a fast data erasure procedure that only lasts for minutes. More importantly, degaussing also sanitizes hard drives regardless of whether they are functioning or damaged. Way better procedure than overwriting that can fail if that hard drive is partly damaged.

Degaussing vs. Shredding

Undeniably, hard drive shredding is a common technique of data destruction. However, there are some instances where the procedure leaves an incomplete result. The shredded pieces pose chances of data recovery. While tiny shredded pieces might seem no harm at first look, it is highly concerning modern hard drives. After all, a massive number of data still exists even with just 2-millimeter-wide shredded particles. Luckily, degaussing leaves no particles. By that, there will also be no chance of data recovery.

Degaussing vs. Incineration

Incineration is another effective data sanitization process. Yet, it requires 670°C to work. Since it is a high temperature, it needs a smelter. The main drawback of this technique is that it produces harmful e-waste and toxic byproducts that humans and the environment must not be exposed to.

Indeed, out of all the hard drive disposal procedures mentioned above, degaussing is the most beneficial option. It leaves no hazardous byproducts or e-waste. Thus, it is the cleanest one. Besides that, degaussing also leaves no recoverable data, leaving the hard drive safe for disposal or recycling. That's why it is a great choice for a secure data destruction method.

Benefits of Onsite Hard Drive Degaussing

Wondering about other benefits of onsite hard drive degaussing? Well then, waste no time and explore the relevant information below to be more convinced in choosing it for secure data destruction.

Guarantees protection

Erasure of a hard drive using a degausser is a certain method to guarantee your protection from the possible use of your information against you. When your data is not accessible to anyone after degaussing, you will no longer have to worry about unfortunate instances, such as data theft.

data privacy

Reduces risks

Preventing the hard drive data from getting into bad hands is much easier with the help of degaussing because there are fewer risks in the process. Definitely, you can ensure that all the sensitive data, such as financial data, company emails, customer profiles, and many more— every data will remain confidential. Basically, any data will never be compromised at any chance.

Saves money

Degaussing your hard drive gives you more time to make the most out of it, letting you to still save money until you really need to purchase a new hard drive. Nonetheless, always remember to prioritize data security and privacy before indulging in other benefits of hard drive degaussing.

Saves time

One best reason you need help from a professional recycling company is that they save you time and the trouble of spending countless hours figuring out how to degauss your hard drive yourself. Thus, it is always best to let the professionals do the job right.

Good for the environment

Since hard drive degaussing produced no dust or debris during and after the process, it is a good choice for the environment. It is worth praising, especially since there are significant concerns about landfills of e-waste harming the environment.

Now that you know that onsite hard drive degaussing is indeed a must-have disposal process to secure data privacy let's dive deeper to discover the right time to degauss your hard drive. Scroll down to explore all the relevant information.

When Should You Degauss a Hard Drive?

There are instances where you can still use your hard drive. For that reason, it is helpful to recognize the best timing in deciding when you should degauss your hard drive. Consider the disposal process when you want or experience the following scenarios:

Plan on selling your computer.

The last thing you probably want to happen is to share your personal files and information when selling your computer. Even if you sell it to your relatives or friends, you don't want them to see your highly confidential files, including your work data. After all, it is best to secure safety by exerting time and effort not to be sorry in the end, right?

Plan to donate your computer.

It is not a significantly different reason when selling your computer. Indeed, you must do hard drive degaussing to make your personal data protected and inaccessible. Therefore, no one can ever harm you by using your confidential data against you. Now, if you want to recycle the hard drive, you can ask your computer service partner to destroy the data for you without any chance of recovery.

hard drive

When experiencing issues with your computer.

A hard drive degaussing is a decent solution if you encounter troubles on your computer, especially to the extreme point that the malfunctioning issues make your computer and hard drive totally useless and frustrating to have. Degaussing will allow you to sanitize your hard drive thoroughly since it is a secured form of data erasure.

When you contracted a virus from a suspicious email or website.

While formatting a hard drive is free and easy, it is not a recommended method of data destruction at all when you encounter a virus. It is because of the high risk possessed by the process. For that reason, hard drive degaussing is a better solution as it is unquestionably more secure. In addition, destroying a hard drive using a degausser only takes a short time, especially when the degausser is a high-quality model. Hence, you can escape being a victim of cybercriminals.

The Bottom Line

Certainly, there are more benefits to choosing onsite hard drive degaussing than not. While it might seem simple to destroy a hard drive, it is better and wiser to partner with a professional company that can provide excellent onsite hard drive degaussing service. Additionally, the company ensures to do the job right without making you worry about anything after.

Lucky you that you don’t need to look further because Abtron Computer Services Inc. will lead you every step of the process to give your utmost satisfaction with our service. Of course, we provide high-quality degaussers to give peace of mind about our service's competency and efficiency. We can also provide you with other computer services to offer all you need from a computer services company.

In fact, we have every service, from IT asset disposal to secure data destruction equipment. Need some electronics upgrade? Worry not; we also offer the best up-to-date computer-related equipment. So, hesitate no more. Just call us at 416-661-7503 or visit our website to get a free quote today!

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