3 Questions to Ask When Buying Your Data Destruction Device

It is no secret that shopping for a new data destruction device has the potential to be tricky. With so many regulations, technologies, and requirements in play, it can be difficult to know exactly what your organization needs to create a complete defense against data leaks or breaches.

And to complicate things further, plenty of advice circulating online may not be applicable to your business.  Because of this, we believe there are three simple questions to consider when you are buying data destruction devices.

Question number 1: What type of memory device is your data stored on?

Data exists in many forms, and you need to determine whether your media is solid-state or magnetic. You can read more about the difference between the two here, but here are some examples and where you find them:

Hard Drives

• Found in: Computers, servers, and external storage devices.
• Why Destroy: Deleting files or formatting drives doesn’t erase the data; it can still be recovered without proper degaussing or destruction.

Solid-State Drives (SSDs)

• Found in: Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and modern storage systems.
• Why Destroy: SSDs cannot be degaussed like hard drives. Physical destruction is necessary to render data unrecoverable.

 Magnetic Tapes

• Found in: Backup systems and archival storage.
• Why Destroy:  These tapes store information as well and while destruction can be messy and challenging, degaussing is clean and easy.

Smartphones and Tablets

• Found:  Virtually everywhere.
• Why Destroy: These devices store a wealth of personal and professional data on tiny solid-state chips. A simple reset—or even physically damaging the device—is insufficient, as the data can often still be retrieved.

Medical Devices and Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

• Found in: Hospitals, labs, and connected workplaces.
• Why Destroy: Devices like insulin pumps and smart thermostats also have memory and therefore, store patient or organizational data that must be wiped before disposal.

Next, ask yourself question 2:  What type of destruction will you need depending on the standards or regulations of your industry?

For example, let us consider that you need a device for the healthcare industry. Organizations in this sector handle protected health information (PHI). In the U.S. the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the European Union have these regulations in place that deem data sensitivity as extremely high. For that reason, Data Erasure, Degaussing or Physical Destruction are all qualifying methods of rendering the data unreadable, indecipherable, and unavailable.

If your industry is in the Government or Defense sector, the NIST 800-88 Rev 2 and the NSA 9-12 qualify the data sensitivity as confidential, classified and/or top secret. Therefore, the type of destruction that you will need is NSA-approved degaussers and disintegrators. Data Security, Inc.® has the largest product line of NSA evaluated products in the industry.

Further reading: A Quick Guide to What Needs to Be Destroyed

Finally, question 3.  What is the volume and type of data you will need to destroy, degauss or both?

It’s important to think about your volume needs. Are you processing a handful of drives each week, or hundreds every day? Do you need a solution for occasional use, or equipment that can handle a constant workflow?

Understanding your volume will help determine the right size and speed of the device you need. Lower volumes might only require a compact tabletop model, while higher volumes call for faster, higher-capacity equipment.

Once you have an idea of how much media you’ll be handling, you can choose the right level of throughput for your organization. For degaussing magnetic media, here is a breakdown located on our site to help you.  For a breakdown of destruction devices please visit our website.

If you are still not sure what type of secure data destruction you might need, at Data Security, Inc.® we’re experts in secure disposal—and we’ll work with you to find the right solution for your organization.

Contact us today to find a secure data destruction device that protects your data—and your business.

Originally published: Aug 26, 2025