Secure Data Erasure

The Secure Data Erasure function enables a secure data erasure reclamation policy for data stored on a 3592 Tape Drive.

The Secure Data Erasure function monitors the age of expired data on a physical volume. When the age exceeds the customer-set limit, Secure Data Erasure forces a reclaim and physical overwrite of the data on the volume.
Note: If the TS7700 system must be taken offline while data is being erased from a 3592 Tape Drive, the Secure Data Erasure function is automatically canceled during the offline process and resumes when the system is brought online.

Encryption and Secure Data Erasure

If a physical volume is encrypted, the TS7700 does not perform a physical overwrite of the data. Instead, the Encryption Key (EK) is shredded, or essential information is removed from the encrypted tape, rendering the encrypted data unrecoverable.

When compared to the normal, or long, erasure operation, EK shredding is a much faster procedure. Furthermore, normal erasure is always used for non-encrypted tapes, while EK shredding is the default used for encrypted tapes. However, the first time an encrypted tape is erased, a normal erasure is performed, followed by an EK shredding. The TS7700 can be configured to perform a normal erasure with every data operation, but this function must be configured by an IBM® Service Representative.