Home » Resources » Confidently Close Data Sanitization Gaps with Data Wiping Software

Confidently Close Data Sanitization Gaps with Data Wiping Software

Enterprise IT leaders are investing more than ever in protecting their end-of-life data from breaches and leaks. According to Blancco’s 2026 State of Data Sanitization Report, 59% of organizations increased their investment in data privacy and compliance last year, and 94% say they are confident that data is fully sanitized when assets leave their control.  

Despite that confidence, 12% of organizations experienced a data leak in the past year due to unsanitized devices or drives. Closing that gap is not just about having a process, it’s about choosing the right data wiping software. 

With so many vendors in the market claiming to offer secure data erasure, the challenge is knowing: 

• what actually matters, 

• what to prioritize, 

• and, what separates an uncertified solution from enterprise-grade erasure.  

That’s what this video covers. 

Watch: How to choose the best data erasure solution 

This short video guide breaks down six key criteria IT and compliance leaders should use when evaluating a data erasure solution: 

• Support for recognized erasure standards (e.g., NIST 800-88, IEEE 2883)  

• Independent product accreditations (e.g., Common Criteria, ADISA)  

• Vendor-level security and ISO certifications  

• Ongoing innovation to keep pace with evolving storage technologies  

• Scalability and operational efficiency across large environments  

For CIOs, CISOs, and IT leaders, choosing the best data wiping software offers a way to remedy the data security blind spots revealed in our research report. These challenges include: 

• Partial alignment to standards—fewer than half of organizations formally align to ISO 27001, and adoption of newer sanitization standards remains inconsistent. 

• Breakdowns in the chain of custody—more than half of devices are stored or retained before final disposition, increasing exposure risk. 

• Inconsistent execution—a mix of methods and processes leads to gaps in verification, particularly during reuse and redeployment. 

Left unaddressed, these preventable issues can undermine data sanitization fundamentals and lead to costly data breaches and leaks.  

Make the right choice with confidence 

Choosing a winning data erasure solution involves technical, compliance, security, and operational expertise. Use the framework in this video to ask the right questions of vendors, identify gaps in your current approach, and ensure your organization can prove data has been irreversibly removed.