Data destruction software—sometimes also referred to as data wiping, data erasure, or data sanitization software—is used to fully delete electronic data from storage devices in a way that it is not recoverable with the help of data recovery software.
Companies use data destruction software to securely dispose of their electronic data, often to meet contractual obligations or adhere to legally-mandated data destruction requirements. Commonly, a company’s compliance officers would set data retention policies for data lifecycle management, including data destruction, which would be carried out by IT administrators. For companies that do not wish to do their own data destruction, they can employ digital document destruction services.
To qualify for inclusion in the Data Destruction category, a product must:
Offer one or multiple data destruction methods of varying degrees including data deletion, data wiping, data erasure, file shredding, data clearing, data purging, or full certifiable data sanitization
Offer audits, documentation, or certification proving that data destruction standards have been met