IBM® Launches Infrastructure Data Erasure—And These 5 Storage Network Benefits Come with It

Mar 12, 2024 Blog Article

IBM just announced its global launch of Blancco-based IBM Data Erasure Services, providing an alternative for managing end-of-life devices and data.  

Vivian Cullipher Vivian is a career writer and editor, having covered technology-related topics for government and B2B organizations since before LinkedIn and the iPhone. As Blancco’s head of content, she oversees the development of thought-leadership-based copy for web, social media, and other Blancco communication channels.

IBM customers fortify data security, support their ESG goals as they manage used devices and old data 

IBM Technology Lifecycle Services (TLS) boasts a world-class portfolio of multi-vendor data center services. IBM TLS provides IT services and support across the product lifecycle. The services rely on deep expertise in IBM Infrastructure and third-party relationships, industry-leading platforms, and advanced technologies like AI to proactively manage the health of systems and their interoperability. IBM Technology Lifecycle Services are designed to improve resiliency while addressing downtime and supporting clients’ sustainable strategies, all while freeing up IT staff to focus on what matters most.

In March 2024, the tech giant added another offering to its service portfolio: IBM Data Erasure Services.  

Born out of a Blancco and IBM TLS collaboration, this new offering removes data across vendor technologies. That’s whether data lives in active networks or on retired devices.  

“Infrastructure data erasure refers to the process of securely and permanently removing data from the various components of an organization’s IT infrastructure, such as servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and other hardware.”

IBM Data Erasure Services Sheet 

Not only does this erase sensitive data from future access, but it also frees devices and network areas for continued use.  

And secured, responsible reuse of storage assets is vitally important.  

The business case for eco-responsible data disposal 

Today’s data-fueled businesses must constantly wage a battle against resource consumption. This isn’t just good environmental stewardship or budget consciousness. It’s a market mandate that reinforces sound environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.  

In an 2024 IBM survey of 5K C-suite executives, 75% of respondents agreed that sustainability drives better business results. Respondents also indicated the level to which companies incorporate sustainability affects how sustainability impacts their business performance. 

Yet when integrating sustainability within server and storage environments, data security must take priority.  

Thankfully, Blancco has found that cutting the carbon footprint of enterprise data storage is more secure than ever.  

IBM data security tackles data disposal with a twist 

If data’s gone, it can’t be stolen. 

Blancco has been a data erasure pioneer for more than 25 years. In FY23 alone, our software erased 63.8M devices. According to Blancco, this amounts to diverting an equivalent of 107M kilograms of tech from potentially entering landfill. Yet no one has ever reported that breached data from a Blancco-erased asset has been identified.  

Erasing data slams the door shut on unauthorized data access. With data secured, IBM customers can reuse devices in-house. Or, they can contribute devices to a growing circular economy that thrives on sellable and donated devices. This takes an axe to e-waste, preventing even high-capacity HDDs, SSDs, and NVMes from being needlessly destroyed in the name of data security.  

IBM TLS uses Blancco technology to help customers dispose of old data, no matter where it’s stored.  

5 ways IBM Data Erasure solutions improve data infrastructure management 

Integrating IBM Data Erasure within their asset and data lifecycle processes is designed to enable IT leaders to experience several network benefits: 

1. Reduced data bloat in active networks2. Automated data sanitization on end-user devices3. Increased data security across end-of-life servers and storage4. Proof of compliance with data protection mandates5. Sustainable options to reinforce ESG goals, reduce e-waste, and cut CO2

Let’s cover these 5 benefits below:

1. Automated IBM Data Erasure reduces data bloat in active networks 

By erasing data within active data center or cloud environments, IBM’s solution is designed to mitigate risks caused by hoarded data. This is especially true when data center or infrastructure managers automate data sanitization processes. 

For instance, IT leaders can implement in-house policy-based triggers to launch IBM Data Erasure automatically. Working in tandem with data discovery and classification tools, enterprises can target no-longer-needed files, folders, or LUNs. Data center and infrastructure managers can erase data based on type, retention period, process, timeframe, or other factors. 

In active networks, IBM data sanitization is designed to permanently delete old data without affecting customer operating systems. This reduces data bloat and associated costs and shrinks an unnecessarily large data attack surface. 

Female engineer codes at multi-monitored workstation. With IBM TLS data erasure, end user device erasures can be launched automatically based on policy. Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

2. IBM Data Erasure is built to protect sensitive data on end-user devices

While this type of IBM offering certainly applies to data center servers and cloud, it doesn’t stop there.

Whether in-office or remote, employee devices create, intake, store, and process sensitive data that can be prone to loss or theft. Automated data sanitization provides increased data protection in a consistent, centralized way, across your workforce. 

Minimizing the amount of sensitive data—such as financial or personally identifiable information—remaining on end-user devices can further secure your overall network. 

3. IBM customers can increase data security across end-of-life servers and storage 

Devices reach end-of-life when companies upgrade or replace their IT systems, retire old hardware, or redistribute equipment for efficiency. In every case, securing the data on that IT equipment is critical.  

That’s especially true when dealing with sensitive information such as  

 Blancco patented data erasure software sanitizes a wide range of data storage technologies (HDDs, SSDs, NVMes, and more) and environments (LUN, VM). 

IBM’s data erasure solution is designed to render data permanently unrecoverable, preventing data spillage from redeployed devices and ensuring data security from the point of decommissioning. 

Two IT professionals examine a data center server. With IBM TLS data erasure, server erasures can be launched automatically based on policy.

4. IBM TLS helps clients to meet their compliance requirements with data protection mandates

Blancco software has been tested, certified, and approved to meet or exceed industry data sanitization standards.

When data or device disposal policies call for NIST 800-88 or IEEE 2883 Clear or Purge, or DoD 5220.22—among other guidelines—IBM TLS can help customers as they work to meet their data sanitization demands.

Customers receive detailed reports to support their documentation of regulatory compliance for internal or third-party auditors and regulators. 

Blancco’s data erasure creates and stores digitally signed reports that can be used to support compliance, audits, reporting, verification, and retention requirements.  

Abstract icon representing the ecological call to recycle and reuse in the form of a pond with a recycling symbol in the middle of a beautiful untouched jungle.

5. Erasure reinforces enterprise ESG goals, reduces e-waste, and cuts CO2

IBM Data Erasure services offer an alternative to physical destruction when it comes to managing end-of-life devices and data. 

Once data has been removed from hardware, you can reuse or resell it. This negates the need for physical destruction, and it recovers the entire device—something recycling can’t do.  

Millions of hard disk drives and solid-state drives are destroyed every year. Extending device life can play a significant role in delaying greenhouse gas emissions associated with manufacturing new devices to replace them.

When data is permanently and completely removed from any environment, it’s no longer vulnerable. That holds true for active environments as well.  

Organizations often have vast amounts of data that serve only to amplify the need for greater data stores. In some cases, redundant, old, and trivial (ROT) data can add to greenhouse gas emissions through excess data storage.  

Data center and infrastructure leaders get sustainability and security with data erasure 

The launch of IBM Data Erasure continues IBM’s trajectory of innovative network protection services. 

And that’s good news for data centers and end user devices. 

“What’s good for the world can also be good for business.”

Beyond checking the box, IBM