HP Secure Erase Technology

HP Printer Security: To meet the needs for higher levels of print and imaging security, Hewlett-Packard created HP Secure Erase technology for Imaging and Printing. This capability allows the administrator to select how data is erased from storage devices, including print, scan, fax, and copy jobs.

Several levels of erase security are provided. The capability is provided as a standard feature on supported HP multifunction peripherals (MFPs), digital copiers, and printers when used with HP’s Web Jetadmin (available separately).

HP Secure Erase technology provides a choice of three different modes of erase security, each of which can be configured by an administrator and may be protected from unauthorized changes with a password. The three erase security modes are:

01. Secure Sanitizing Erase Mode

Conforms to the U.S. Department of Defense 5220-22.M specification for deleting magnetically stored data. Secure Sanitizing Erase uses multiple data overwrites to eliminate trace magnetic data and also prevents subsequent analysis of the hard disk drive’s physical platters for the retrieval of data.

02. Secure Fast Erase Mode

This mode completes the erasure faster than Secure Sanitize mode. Secure Fast Erase mode overwrites the existing data once, and prevents software-based “undelete” operations on the data.

03. Non-secure Fast Erase Mode

The quickest of the three erasing modes, , Non-secure Fast Erase mode marks the print job data as deleted, and allows the MFP’s operating system to reclaim and subsequently overwrite the data when needed.

HP Secure Erase technology is applied in two different ways to remove data from storage devices.

  1. Secure File Erase erases files on a continuous basis as soon as they are no longer needed to perform the requested function.
  2. Secure Storage Erase removes all non-essential data from storage devices in a manor consistent with preparation for decommissioning or redeployment. This operation can be initiated on demand or scheduled for a later date and time.