News and New Products

Degausser ensures total magnetic-media erasure

By Bill Schweber -- EDN, 8/4/2005

Everyone is concerned about security at the network, format, and physical levels. So how do you quickly and thoroughly wipe clean those hard disks, tapes, and floppy disks? Software can perform repeated overwrites, but the results may not be secure enough, the software takes time to run, and you may not even have a viable drive unit or controller for the old media (Picture).

Instead, consider the Mobile Mag EraSure from Security Engineered Machinery. This permanent-magnet-based degausser requires no power supply and delivers flux density of 5000 to 13,000 gauss, corresponding to coercivity as high as 4200 oersteds. Using rare-earth NdFeB (neodymium-iron-boron) magnets, the unit includes a hand crank which, when the user turns it, pushes the subject drive or tape into and out of the box, for total erasure in less than 60 sec. The 44-lb (20-kg) unit measures 24×11×7.5 in. (61×30×19 cm) and costs approximately $25,500. Just be careful where you put it and how you transport it.

Security Engineered Machinery, www.semshred.com.