Backup tape destruction
LTO, DLT, DDS, AIT, and legacy cartridges degaussed on an NSA-listed degausser and then shredded, on your site or by mail. Backup tapes hold everything your servers ever held, and they outlive the servers.
Why tapes deserve their own page
A backup tape is a complete copy of a system at a point in time, often unencrypted, often stored off-site, and often forgotten. A single LTO-9 cartridge holds 18 terabytes. Tape libraries retire in the hundreds and thousands, and because the cartridges are small and the data is old, they are the media most likely to be boxed up and sent to a recycler without a second thought. They are also magnetic, which means the same tools that sanitize a hard drive sanitize a tape.
How we destroy them
Cartridges cross the Data Security LM-1 degausser, which is rated for tape to 3,000 oersteds and listed on the NSA/CSS EPL for magnetic degaussers, and then go through the shredder so the cassette and the tape inside come out in pieces. NSA/CSS 9-12 accepts degaussing on a listed degausser as sanitization for magnetic tape, with disintegration to 2 mm and incineration as the alternatives; we degauss and then shred so the result is both sanitized and visibly destroyed. Labels and markings are removed first, as the manual directs. The photo above is what an LTO cartridge looks like afterward.
What we take
LTO of any generation, DLT and SDLT, DDS and DAT, AIT, 3592 and T10000 enterprise cartridges, 8 mm and DV video tape, VHS, and reel tape. Optical discs, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray, are not magnetic and go through the disintegrator instead, mixed with other media as its listing specifies.
On-site or by mail
A tape library retirement is a truck job: we schedule it, degauss and shred at your site, and hand you a certificate that lists cartridge counts by type or by barcode if you need them logged. For a shoebox of old backups, Shred by Mail takes tapes at 50 cents each, with a $59 minimum and the label included under 10 lb.
Standards this satisfies
NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 Purge by degaussing and Destroy by shredding, both documented. NSA/CSS 9-12 for classified tape. HIPAA for backup sets holding PHI, GLBA for financial backups, CJIS for evidence and records systems, and the retention schedules that say when a backup may finally be destroyed.
By mail
Unclassified media can travel by tracked carrier. Per-item prices, $59 minimum, prepaid label included under 10 lb. Price a box.
- Tape cartridge, CD, or DVD, by mail$0.50
Where we do it
Anywhere in the lower 48, next-day in our closest metros. Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Toledo, Youngstown, Dayton, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Erie, Wheeling, Morgantown, and 29 more.
Who uses this
Healthcare, Law enforcement and courts, Defense contractors, Federal, state, and local government, Education, Financial services, Data centers and colocation, Aerospace and defense suppliers.
Other services
Questions
Do you need the tapes out of the library?
No. If the library is being decommissioned we can pull cartridges with your staff. If only the media is retiring, bring the cartridges out and keep the library.
Can you log cartridge barcodes?
Yes. We scan barcodes before destruction on request, so the certificate matches your backup catalog and your retention log closes cleanly.
Is degaussing enough for LTO?
The NSA accepts it for classified tape on a listed degausser. We shred afterward anyway so the cartridge is visibly destroyed and cannot be mistaken for a live backup.
What about really old formats?
If it is magnetic tape, it crosses the belt. Reel, 8 mm, DAT, VHS. If the shell is unusual we take it apart first.
Can I mail tapes?
Yes. Tapes are 50 cents each by mail, $59 minimum, label included when the box is under 10 lb. A hundred LTO cartridges weigh about 40 lb, so that is a two-box or own-carrier shipment. Price a box.