What NIST 800-88 and DoD 5220.22-M actually require, and why the certificate matters.
The federal guideline for media sanitization. It defines "Clear" and "Purge" level sanitization, overwriting or resetting storage so data cannot be recovered by normal means, while leaving the drive usable for reissue or resale.
Used across federal agencies, healthcare, and enterprise IT as the baseline for "the data is really gone" on a drive that isn't being destroyed.
Overwrites data so it can't be recovered with standard tools.
A stronger pass intended to defeat lab-level recovery techniques.
Originally a Department of Defense data sanitization standard, now used broadly as the reference point for physical media destruction, shredding drives down to a particle size that rules out any reconstruction.
This is the path for failed drives, end-of-life hardware, and anything where policy calls for destruction regardless of whether a wipe would technically work.
Media is reduced to a size that makes reconstruction impossible.
Magnetic media can also be degaussed to destroy the stored data pattern.
Documented destruction supports HIPAA obligations when retiring systems that touched patient data.
School districts retiring devices with student records get the same documented chain of custody.
Agencies and contractors get destruction handled to the standard their own policy requires, on paper.
A Certificate of Destruction by serial number is evidence you can hand an auditor directly.
Tell us what standard your policy requires and we'll match it.