Before sending a hard drive to be recycled, which action should be performed?

Running Secure Erase on a hard drive before recycling it is an important step to ensure that all data is thoroughly removed from the drive. Secure Erase is a command for SSDs and HDDs that allows for the complete removal of all data, making it nearly impossible to recover. This is especially vital in today's digital landscape, where data breaches can lead to severe consequences for both individuals and businesses. By utilizing Secure Erase, you can ensure that sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands, thereby protecting privacy and security.

While degaussing and pulverizing the drive can also eliminate data, they are more extreme methods that may not be necessary for all situations. Degaussing involves using a magnetic field to disrupt the magnetic domains on the disk, which is effective but often requires specialized equipment. Pulverizing, which physically destroys the drive, ensures data cannot be recovered but is impractical for situations where the drive can be securely wiped instead. Clearing the drive may not provide sufficient security as it might not thoroughly remove all data. Running Secure Erase is generally considered a best practice for responsible data disposal prior to recycling hardware.