Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
for optical media involves cross-cut shredding through a device rated
for optical media destruction. This same technology works well when
destroying floppy disk media, though removable semirigid magnetic
media such as Bernoulli drive storage platters may require more rigorous
destructive measures. Certain highly secure environments go so far as to
require physical destruction through a grinding process, with even the
resulting dust then stored in a plastic suspension and the resulting mate-
rial protected against physical access. This may be well beyond the secu-
rity requirements of most enterprise networks, but it remains an effective
concept for media retirement in high-security environments.
Because electronic data storage technologies can retain residual infor-
mation markers, retiring flash drives should also include media destruc-
tion when possible. Physical destruction of hard-drive devices is more
difficult, making high-powered magnetic erasure a more popular option,
but destruction is possible when dealing with media used to store protected
information, trade secrets, and other data of a highly valuable nature.
Note:
While some administrators may find it enjoyable to attempt media
destruction at the local rifle range, penetration damage may not fully
protect against unauthorized data disclosure, even though the results may
appear spectacular.
Summary
Like children, enterprise data storage requirements continue to grow
daily. As network bandwidth and storage capacity expand, so too do the
formats and types of information made possible by the enhanced avail-
ability. Mark Kryder's observations ring true when measured against
the 10,000-fold increase in data storage that has occurred over the past
decade, with technologies in prototype able to extend the same rate of
growth into the foreseeable future. Through careful planning and storage
policy development, the architect can ensure that this growth is met with
adequate capacity and ready management mechanisms.
In this chapter, we have reviewed many of the options for storage and
some policies that may need to be put into place to manage the ever-
