How to Securely Wipe a Solid State Drive (SSD)?

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are a common digital storage method. Because of their speed and efficiency, they make a great alternative to traditional Hard Drives (HDDs). However, the differences in design can also make it more difficult to securely wipe and dispose of your devices.

Despite their benefits, SSDs can present security issues if not handled correctly. Therefore, companies must dispose of them properly when they’re no longer being used.

Why Should I Wipe My Drive?

It’s not always necessary to completely destroy an SSD when getting rid of it. By wiping your SSD before disposal, you can secure your data while getting a small ROI by selling it. It’s important to properly wipe storage devices before selling or disposing of them.

The problem is that SSDs have unique characteristics that make wiping them different from their HDD counterparts. Because data is written to different blocks spread across the drive, traditional wiping methods won’t work.

ATA Secure Erase

Supported drives offer the ATA Secure Erase command, which allows users to reset the device to a clean state. For this to work, the device must be connected through either a SATA or ESATA interface. On many operating systems, you can connect devices using the “hdparm” command.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) considers ATA Secure Erase, alongside degaussing techniques, to be acceptable for purging ATA drives. Some BIOS and UEFI interfaces also support Secure Erase.

Manufacturer Software

Many companies offer specialized software for wiping SSDs. These dedicated programs make it easy to wipe an SSD and securely dispose of it. Many even have integrated backup, recovery, and corruption detection tools.

There are also a few third-party options to choose from, so users should be careful when using these tools to ensure they don’t compromise the data they still need.

Physical Destruction

When a device is no longer operating correctly, it’s best to dispose of it rather than simply erase the data. Shredding is an effective way to destroy the physical media for good, ensuring the data goes with it.

Data destruction can be a tricky process. Luckily, SEAM services offer comprehensive shredding and erasure for physical hard drives and documents.

Securely Wipe Your SSDs With SEAM

Need assistance with your SSD wiping, destruction, or reselling needs? Secure Enterprise Asset Management (SEAM) offers value recovery for all your IT equipment.

If your company is located in North Dakota or South Dakota, SEAM’s data destruction, electronics recycling, and tracking and reporting services can help you keep your data secure.

We understand the importance of digital security. We’ll give you improved value recovery for your old equipment alongside certified destruction processes that comply with the latest NIST standards.

Don’t compromise your data with poor asset management. Get your quote today!