How Secure Is Your Data When Selling Your Used Tapes?
Note: The following article was written before the official name change from recertified to Graham Certified™.
Many data centers today naturally have a concern when looking to sell their surplus tape media. Will my data be totally destroyed? Can it be viewed again or recovered after the recertification process?
As the premier manufacturer that offers the only full-line of recertified media, Graham Magnetics takes great pride in our offerings, and that means ensuring that your data cannot be read or recovered.
There are typically two ways to make sure data on tape cannot be recovered. The first is degaussing. Degaussing tape cartridges will destroy the data and any servo-track (for tapes with servo tracks) and render them useless going forward. This being the case, while degaussing will prevent anyone from having the chance to read any previously recorded data, it also means any value to a company like Graham to re-certify and resell them would be forfeited. The second method, and the one Graham uses in our recertification process, is to re-write over the existing data, full length and every bit position.
At Graham, we call our process “Recertification”, not reworked, re-manufactured, reconditioned or other names you may hear from other companies. By recertification, we mean writing a pattern of all one’s and zero’s, full length, every bit position to each tape, and recording the error activity encountered during the process. This not only assures that our customers receive only high quality recertified media, but also ensures that your data cannot be read or ever recovered…by anyone - Period.
Think of what happens when you re-record a home VCR tape. Whatever was on the portion of tape that you recorded over previously is gone – not recoverable. Even if the recorder records a blank screen, it destroys what was there before. The same is true with computer tapes of all types. Data that is recorded over cannot be recovered. Data beyond the overwritten area, however, can be recovered so to prevent that data from the possibility of ever being read by anyone, the entire tape must be overwritten.
Our recertification process is simple:
- Receive tapes into a secure environment in our Graham, Texas facility.
- Count, sort and inventory tapes received.
- Degauss and destroy any unusable tapes found during step 2.
- Stage cartridges to be recertified.
- Write a pattern on all one’s and zero's on every tape, full length, every bit position on a compatible tape drive and log any error activity encountered during the process. This process is completed using Graham’s proprietary software designed specifically for this process. This software does not invoke normal drive error correction capability in order to assure that every bit position of the tape is overwritten, and no previous data exists.
- The block size used during Graham’s recertification process is 128K.
- Tapes that fail due to high errors will be degaussed and destroyed.
- Tapes that pass will be cleaned, volume ID labels removed, new labels applied and typically are re-initialized just prior to being shipped as recertified media.
- Every tape cartridge that is recertified is also marked with our 100% tested stamp along with the Julian Date.
As a recognized leader in tape data recovery, we typically recover data from tapes that others have given up on. Our expertise has yielded contracts with major airlines, financial institutions, numerous Universities and the U.S. National Archives (NARA). If/when a customer inquires about whether or not we can recover any portion of overwritten data area, our answer is a resounding NO. And, we can prove it.
Bottom line, we are experts at the recovery of Data Recovery on Tape and therefore fully understand what it takes to prevent the possibility of your critical data ever being read. By utilizing this knowledge as a part of our recertification process, we can provide total assurance that data previously present on those tapes can never be read by anyone.
We invite you to review our recertification process or contact us today to schedule a first hand visit to our facility to view our process and procedures. Feel free to bring a few tapes along, and have us run them through our process and take them back with you. We would then challenge you or anyone you may select to see if any data can be found on tapes we have processed.
Please feel free to contact us us at your convenience with any additional questions.