Solid State vs. Magnetic Media – What’s the Difference?
The many different types of media out there may not seem important… until it’s up to you to properly dispose them. Maybe you’ve never heard the terms “solid state” and “magnetic state,” or you’re not sure of the difference. We’re here to break down both meanings and explain the secure disposal method of each.
What is solid state media?
Solid state media is technology such as solid-state drives (SSDs), smart phones, tablets, memory cards and thumb drives. Solid state media records information on microchips that store data even with no power present. This is because they contain an embedded processor and interconnected flash memory chips.
What is magnetic media?
Magnetic media includes magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs) and magnetic tapes. Magnetic media records information using read/write heads and magnetics to create a binary code of 1s and 0s.
How do we handle them?
These two types of media require very different methods for permanent data destruction and disposal at end of life.
The National Security Agency (NSA) guidance for solid state media destruction is to disintegrate the data chip’s particles to 2mm or less. This ensures the information is destroyed and left unrecoverable. If you are not following the NSA guidelines then solid state media can be shredded into larger particles and disposed. The goal should be to at least crack or damage each chip to make it difficult to retrieve the information.
Magnetic media, on the other hand, should be degaussed and destroyed according to the NSA. Unlike solid state media, it doesn’t need to be disintegrated to a 2mm particle size. Its data has already been destroyed through degaussing. Physical destruction after degaussing simply provides extra security from data thieves.
Degaussing is effective in erasing magnetic media’s data because it uses a magnetic field to scramble the 1s and 0s but is ineffective on solid state. To read more about degaussing, check out our blog, What’s a Degausser?.
Data Security, Inc.®’s products for degaussing and destroying are capable of fully eradicating data on both of these media types. Let us help you figure out which product may be right for you. Contact us.
Last Updated Jan, 6, 2025