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ITAD Glossary

What is NIST SP 800-88?

NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, is the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s guidance on erasing and destroying data on storage media. Revision 2, published in September 2025, replaced Revision 1 from 2014 and centers on building an organization-wide sanitization program.

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NIST SP 800-88

Why it matters for IT and security teams

It is the reference most ITAD contracts, audits and certifications point to. A certificate that names NIST SP 800-88 tells an auditor which method was used and why it was appropriate.

NIST SP 800-88

How it works

  • Defines sanitization as making access to data infeasible at a given level of effort.
  • Organizes methods as clear, purge and destroy.
  • Matches the method to the type of media and the sensitivity of the data.
  • Calls for verifying and documenting sanitization.

NIST SP 800-88

How HOBI handles it

HOBI’s erasure and destruction procedures follow NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2, and HOBI’s Certificates of Destruction reference it.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

It was written for federal agencies. Private companies adopt it voluntarily or because contracts, auditors or certifications require it.

Revision 2 supersedes the 2014 version and puts more weight on setting up a sanitization program, with techniques matched to the sensitivity of the information.

Yes. It covers flash-based media, where purge methods such as cryptographic erase are used instead of simple overwriting.

Keep learning

Related terms and services

Sources: NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2

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