They’re Harder to Erase Than Hard Drives

Efficiently erasing data from old, inactive or dead solid state drives (SSDs) is a critical component of securing and eliminating your organization’s data. Since the internal technology behind SSDs is different than hard drive disks, the process of destroying solid state drives is also different.

SSDs use flash memory to read and write data as opposed to the spinning disks used in traditional hard drives. As a result, solid state drives have better performance. SSDs work so well at storing data that it is difficult to erase these drives. Many typical sanitizing techniques that are used on hard drives are not as effective on SSDs, primarily because of their use of flash memory.

Clients throughout Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land and the entire surrounding region of Texas have relied on TechnoCycle to provide secure solid state device (SSD) shredding and destruction services to support their ongoing ITAD requirements.

How We Destroy SSDs

After receiving your request for the destruction of your SSD’s or other devices, a five digit unique lot number is assigned for the service. We collect the items and return them to our facility where they are weighed in and then stored securely in preparation to be manifested. All assets collected from your location are included in a manifest which lists each item with its serial number, make, model, or any other identifying information before each is destroyed.

Unlike hard disk drives and other magnetic media, SSDs cannot be degaussed. Therefore, the only acceptable means of SSD data destruction is physical destruction. Because these SSDs store vast amounts of information on small flash memory chips, even when the device is broken up, it is possible to recover data from the small, intact fragments of SSD drives. While this is unlikely, it requires a secure process of destruction for your solid state drives.

To eliminate the possibility of data recovery from solid state devices, each and every chip from the device must be fully destroyed.

Once an SSD is destroyed, the shredded fragments are kept securely in our facility before being transferred to a certified partner for further shredding and separation in order to enter the recycling stream.

We then provide you a manifest, Certificates of Destruction and other requested documentation within 24 business hours after the completion of the requested services.

Optionally, and with all the same security and process, the TechnoCycle SSD destruction and shredding service can take place at your location as part of a NAID AAA Certified Mobile Destruction service.

SSD Formats We Destroy

Our SSD destruction service includes the ability to destroy the following types:

• Internal and External SSD Drives
• Hybrid Drives or ULLtraDIMM SSD drives
• Devices employing SSDs, including:
  • Laptops
  • Desktops
  • Tablets, including iPads and Android Devices
  • Recording machines
  • Cameras
  • Security systems

Why It’s Important

Did you know that Texas business leaders are legally required to properly dispose of customers’ sensitive data? According to the Texas’ Business & Commerce Codes §72.004 and §521.052, any business caught improperly disposing of business records can be fined up to $500 for each record, and in the case of a data breach, up to $50,000 for each violation by the state of Texas. These fines do not include any penalties exacted by the U.S. government under the FTC’s FACTA Disposal Rule, which applies to virtually every business operating in the United States.

UNDER TEXAS LAW, shredding is specifically noted as a proper disposal method of your old data. If your hard drives or other data-bearing media contain protected information, it is best to physically destroy the data for the ultimate security, to avoid state and federal penalties, and to ensure data disposal compliance.

Contact Us Today

PROPER DATA DISPOSAL IS MANDATORY, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. When your SSD drives have reached their statutory, capacity or useful end of life, let TechnoCycle oversee the data disposal process for you with our enterprise-level data shredding services.

If you have SSD destruction questions or would like to schedule our SSD destruction service, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page. We look forward to hearing from you.