Decommission Laptops and Drives
Secure data sanitization following NIST 800-88 guidelines.
What is NIST 800-88?
NIST Special Publication 800-88 Revision 1, "Guidelines for Media Sanitization," is the federal standard for securely removing data from storage media. It provides clear guidelines for organizations to ensure that sensitive information cannot be recovered from devices that are being repurposed, recycled, or disposed of.
The standard defines three levels of sanitization: Clear, Purge, and Destroy. Each method is appropriate for different scenarios based on the sensitivity of the data and the intended disposition of the media.
Sanitization Methods
Clear
Logical operations to sanitize data in all user-addressable storage locations. Suitable for data that will remain within your organization's control.
Purge
Physical or logical methods that render data recovery infeasible using state-of-the-art laboratory techniques. Required when devices leave your control.
Destroy
Physical destruction of the storage media, rendering it unusable. The most secure method for highly sensitive data or when media cannot be sanitized.
Why NIST 800-88 Sanitization Matters
Simply deleting files or formatting a drive doesn't actually remove the data—it only removes the pointers to where the data is stored. Sophisticated recovery tools can easily retrieve "deleted" information, putting your organization at risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and legal liability.
NIST 800-88 provides a standardized, verifiable approach to data sanitization that ensures sensitive information—including customer data, financial records, intellectual property, and personal information—is permanently and irrecoverably removed from storage media.
- Compliance with federal and industry regulations
- Protection against data breaches and identity theft
- Legal protection from data exposure liabilities
- Environmental responsibility through proper e-waste handling
- Documentation and certificates for audit purposes
Our Service
We provide comprehensive decommissioning services for Windows laptops. Our process includes:
- Selection of appropriate sanitization method per NIST 800-88 guidelines
- Secure data sanitization using industry-standard tools
- Verification and testing to confirm data removal
- Documentation and certificates for compliance and audit purposes
- Environmentally responsible disposal or recycling of sanitized media
Disposal Options
After secure data sanitization, select how you'd like to proceed with the hardware:
Recycle Hardware
Environmentally responsible recycling of sanitized hardware. All data is securely removed per NIST 800-88 standards before recycling.
Reinstall Windows 11 & Return
After secure data sanitization, we'll perform a fresh Windows 11 installation and return the laptop to you, ready for reuse.