Data Wiping Services for Data Centers: Ensuring Secure Erasure Before Relocation

Every data center contains storage media that holds sensitive organizational data. Before hardware leaves a facility, whether it is being relocated, decommissioned, or transferred to a third party, the data on that media must be addressed. Failing to do so creates a data breach risk that is entirely preventable with the right processes.

STSI coordinates certified data wiping services as part of our comprehensive data center relocation and decommissioning engagements, ensuring that every piece of storage media is handled in accordance with applicable security standards.

The Data Breach Risk of Inadequate Media Handling

Research has consistently found that storage devices sold on secondary markets or discarded improperly frequently contain recoverable data, including personal information, financial records, and confidential business data. For organizations subject to HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, or other data protection regulations, the exposure of that data through improper media handling constitutes a reportable breach with potential fines, remediation costs, and reputational damage.

The risk is not limited to devices that are obviously decommissioned. Devices being relocated to a new facility may pass through multiple hands during the transport process. Organizations that rely on physical access controls at the origin facility for their primary data protection must implement additional controls for the transit period when those physical controls no longer apply.

NIST SP 800-88 Media Sanitization Standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Special Publication 800-88, "Guidelines for Media Sanitization," provides the recognized framework for data sanitization. The standard defines three levels of sanitization: Clear, Purge, and Destroy.

Clear applies logical techniques (overwriting, firmware-based secure erase) that protect against non-laboratory attacks. Purge applies physical or logical techniques that protect against laboratory attacks. Destroy renders the media completely incapable of data recovery by physically shredding or disintegrating the media.

The appropriate sanitization level depends on the sensitivity of the data on the media and its intended disposition. Media being reused within the same organization after relocation typically requires Clear-level sanitization. Media being disposed of, sold, or donated typically requires Purge-level sanitization. Media containing the most sensitive data categories may require physical Destroy.

The Types of Storage Devices Requiring Sanitization

Data sanitization requirements apply to all media types that store persistent data. In a data center environment, this includes hard disk drives in servers and SAN arrays, solid-state drives in servers and storage systems, tape media in backup tape libraries, flash memory in network switches and routers containing configuration data, and embedded storage in physical access control systems and UPS monitoring systems.

Organizations frequently overlook the non-obvious storage media categories when planning a migration or decommissioning. STSI's pre-move media inventory identifies all storage-containing devices in the environment, not just the obvious ones, ensuring comprehensive coverage of sanitization requirements.

The Certificate of Destruction

Every storage device processed through a certified data wiping or destruction service receives a Certificate of Destruction that documents the device's serial number, the sanitization method applied, the date of sanitization, and the identity of the certified technician who performed the work. This certificate is the documentation that proves the data was properly sanitized and provides evidence for regulatory compliance purposes.

STSI collects Certificates of Destruction for every device processed as part of a relocation or decommissioning engagement and includes them in the final project documentation package delivered to the client.

Data Wiping for Devices in Transit

For devices that are being relocated rather than decommissioned, the question is not whether to destroy the data but how to protect it during transit. Options include physical transport of the storage media with chain of custody documentation, software replication of data to the destination followed by wiping of the origin media, and hardware encryption with secure key management.

STSI coordinates the appropriate approach based on the sensitivity of the data, the regulatory environment, and the client's security policies.

Contact STSI at spectransport.com/industries/data-center-migration to discuss data sanitization requirements for your relocation or decommissioning project.