Do you have data destruction requirements?

Do you work in an environment that contains sensitive data? What do you do with your server drives when they are being evergreened out? Would or could someone actually use forensic techniques to pull sensitive data off the legacy hardware you sent out the door? I looked at a couple of options and found this free, flexible and powerful Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN).

While examining some free alternatives for securely removing data from hard disks, I ran across DBAN, a SourceForge project that is open source, and more importantly, free.

DBAN supports both IDE and SCSI drives, making it ideal to use in the data center. It is OS platform independent, capable of supporting large drives and virtually any OS loaded on those disks. This includes MS-DOS, Win 3.1, 9x, NT (all versions), Win 2k, Win XP (I have not had the opportunity to try this against Win 2k3, but can't see how it would be any different), BSD (Free, Net and Open), Linux (all flavors), BeOS and QNX.

I was also surprised at the wide selection of wipe methods available: Quick Erase, Canadian RCMP TSSIT OPS-II Standard Wipe, American DoD 5220-22.M Standard Wipe, Gutmann Wipe and PRNG Stream Wipe. Each wipe method utilizes a varied number of parameters, including the number of consecutive wipes required and the type of data pattern laid down to the disk.

You can select single volumes, single disks or multiple batches to perform bulk operations -- this is one flexible tool!

How does

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

Check out DBAN on SourceForge at http://dban.sourceforge.net/. Be sure to read the associated documentation carefully, as this is a powerful and destructive tool. The current version is 1.0.3.

This article first appeared in myITforum, the premier online destination for IT professionals responsible for managing their corporations' Microsoft Windows systems. The centerpiece of myITforum.com is a collection of member forums where IT professionals actively exchange technical tips, share their expertise, and download utilities that help them better manage their Windows environments, specifically Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). It is part of the TechTarget network of Web sites. To register for the site and sign up for the myITforum daily newsletter, click here.

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchWinIT.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.