Vivian Cullipher

Drive Destruction vs. Data Erasure: Which Data Disposal Method is Most Secure?

Vivian Cullipher, October 31, 2019 | Data Sanitization

Drives that have been used in a highly protected and confidential information system will need to be retired eventually, even if the data on those drives gets transferred to another storage device. In this situation, making stored data permanently inaccessible will be critical during the decommissioning process. How do you make sure your highly sensitive data is completely destroyed at end-of life? We take a look at physical destruction methods … Read More

Is It Time to Update Your IT Security Policies?

Vivian Cullipher, September 18, 2019 | Data Sanitization

While technology developments come fast and furious, the policies that govern them often aren’t agile enough to keep up. And, when it comes to IT security policies, new technologies aren’t the only factors that can leave your standard protection methods outdated: Changes in business structure, regulation, the value of your data, the speed of data collection and increased malicious activity can also lessen their effectiveness. All of this leaves even … Read More

Data Sanitization Enters “Slope of Enlightenment” on Gartner Hype Cycle

Vivian Cullipher, September 12, 2019 | Data Sanitization

The Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities. In addressing data sanitization in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Data Security, 2019,1 Hype Cycle for Privacy, 20192 and Hype Cycle for Endpoint Security, 2019,3 Gartner analysts have provided the following definition: “data sanitization is the disciplined process … Read More

Need to Erase Mac T2 Devices? Blancco Has You Covered.

Vivian Cullipher, August 8, 2019 | Data Erasure

Apple’s latest Mac mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac Pro all use the T2 chip with secure boot. Secure boot acts like an exclusive club’s sharply dressed but no-nonsense bouncer, disallowing access for even the most well-dressed nonmembers—in this case, the majority of drive erasure software. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up removing confidential data from your Mac devices—even if you have tens, hundreds or thousands … Read More

What is NIST 800-88, and What Does “Media Sanitization” Really Mean?

Vivian Cullipher, May 9, 2019 | NIST

NIST 800-88, published by the National Institute for Standards and Technology, is known for its media sanitization categories of Clear, Purge and Destroy. Its principles can apply to magnetic, flash-based, and other storage technologies. And, it can cover everything from mobile devices and USB drives to servers—or even technologies not yet developed. The latest update, NIST 800-88 Rev. 1, is one of the most widely used data sanitization standards requested … Read More