Laptop data wiping to NIST SP 800-88, with a certificate of data destruction
Every drive in the laptops, desktops and servers we buy back is wiped before the equipment is resold, refurbished or recycled. We pick the NIST SP 800-88 method by drive type, verify the result, keep the tool logs, and issue one certificate of data destruction for your lot with a row for every device. We follow NIST SP 800-88; we don't hold a third-party certification for it.
Last updated: 26 September 2026. Koramangala, Bangalore.
Which method is used for which drive?
NIST SP 800-88 sorts sanitisation into Clear, Purge and Destroy. The right one depends on the kind of drive and whether it still works.
| Drive | NIST category | How |
|---|---|---|
| Working SSD (SATA or NVMe) | Purge | ATA or NVMe secure erase, or cryptographic erase. We never multi-pass overwrite an SSD — it only adds wear. |
| Working hard drive (HDD) | Purge or Clear | ATA secure erase, or a single-pass overwrite followed by a verification pass. |
| Failed or dead drive | Destroy | Removed from the device and sent to an authorised e-waste recycler for destruction; the recycler's certificate is filed with ours. |
Laptops that come back to us from a rental are wiped and given a fresh operating system before they go out again.
How a lot is handled
The same five steps for every lot. No device leaves for resale without a wipe log.
Intake
Every device in the lot is logged in our wipe register: make and model, device serial number and storage serial number.
Wipe
The method for that drive type runs. The tool's log — or a photo of its completion screen — is saved.
Verify
The verification pass must read PASS. A drive that fails goes to the Destroy route instead.
Record
Tool logs are kept for at least seven years and are available to you on request.
Certificate
One certificate of data destruction for the lot, one row per device, signed and sealed, with its own certificate number.
What does the certificate of data destruction record?
One certificate covers your lot, with a row for each device, so your IT and compliance team has a record of how the data on retired laptops, desktops and servers was handled — useful for DPDP Act 2023 and audit files.
- Certificate number and date of issue
- Your company, contact person and address (and GSTIN, if any)
- Pickup or job reference, and the gate pass or challan number
- For each device: make and model, device serial number
- Storage type and storage serial number
- Method used (NIST SP 800-88 Clear, Purge or Destroy)
- Tool and version, and the result
- Signature and seal from Techvity, and acknowledgement from your team
Background: NIST 800-88 data wiping explained for Indian companies
Sample layout
Certificate of Data Destruction
- Certificate No.
- TVD-YYYY-NNN
- Make / Model
- ______________
- Device serial
- ______________
- Storage type & serial
- ______________
- Method (NIST SP 800-88)
- Clear / Purge / Destroy
- Tool & version
- ______________
- Result
- PASS — verified
Indicative layout, not a fillable certificate.
Which standards does the process refer to?
NIST SP 800-88
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology's guidelines for media sanitisation. We follow them to choose and record the method for every drive.
DPDP Act 2023
India's data protection law expects personal data to be erased when it is no longer needed. A certificate listing each device gives you a documented trail for that.
Data wiping: common questions
Which standard do you follow for data wiping?
NIST SP 800-88, the US guidelines for media sanitisation. We choose Clear, Purge or Destroy by drive type and record the method for each device. We follow the standard; we don't hold a third-party certification for it.
How do you wipe SSDs and hard drives?
Working SSDs are purged with ATA or NVMe secure erase, or cryptographic erase — never a multi-pass overwrite. Working hard drives get ATA secure erase or a single-pass overwrite with a verification pass. Any drive that fails verification, or is dead, is destroyed through an authorised e-waste recycler.
Do we get a certificate of data destruction?
Yes. One certificate covers your lot, with a row for each device: make and model, device serial, storage type and serial, the method, the tool and version, and the result. It is signed and sealed by Techvity and has its own certificate number.
Can we see the wipe logs?
Yes. The wipe tool's logs are kept for at least seven years and are available to you on request.
How long does wiping a batch of laptops take?
It depends on how many devices there are and what drives they have, so we confirm the timing with your quote.
Do you work with companies outside Bangalore?
Yes. Companies anywhere in India can sell us their old laptops, desktops, monitors, servers, networking equipment and other IT equipment. Tell us where the equipment is when you send the asset list, and we confirm how it reaches us with the quote.
Do you wipe desktops and servers as well as laptops?
Yes. Every drive in the laptops, desktops and servers we buy back from companies goes through the same NIST SP 800-88 process, and each device is listed on the certificate of data destruction.
Retiring your company's laptops or other IT equipment?
Send us your asset list. We quote each item, wipe every drive to NIST SP 800-88 and give you a certificate of data destruction for the lot.