Plasmon introduces 'data shredding' compliant media

Sep 01, 2005: Optical storage vendor Plasmon has developed a new UDO (Ultra Density Optical) disc that allows users to destroy files for compliance and liability purposes while leaving other data on the same disc untouched.

According to Plasmon, the new UDO Compliant Write-Once media is designed for archive applications subject to regulatory compliance and for ILM (Information Lifecycle Management) environments that have very specific data retention and disposition requirements. It contains a new feature that combines write-once authenticity with the ability to physically destroy records, thereby enabling organisations to be in compliance with data retention and disposition regulations.

Designated records can be destroyed by using a special “shred” operation. Unlike the erase pass on magnetic discs, the shred operation on Phase Change media leaves no residual traces of previously written data.

"The availability of Ultra Density Optical (UDO) Compliant Write-Once Media is key to customers requiring data longevity and authenticity while maintaining data retention," states Brian Garrett, analyst and technical director of Enterprise Strategy Group Lab. “Plasmon’s offering is particularly compelling because it offers shredding technology which destroys data and keeps an audit trail to verify that the data was indeed eliminated. This is a capability that current disk-based systems do not have and thus a major advantage for those in business environment where compliance is a major issue."

“An implementation of evolving WORM technology is the UDO Compliant Write Once Media. This media offers the ability to selectively destroy individual records as retention periods expire. IDC believes that the addition of such a finite yet static data protection capability is an important evolution of WORM technology. Enabling data to be retained the correct length of time will provide data protection and compliance officers with the necessary tools to deal with deletion, as well as, retention. We also recommend that this functionality be supported in all major storage applications,” said Claus Egge, programme director, European Storage Research, at IDC.

“The development of Compliant Write-Once media was a direct response to evolving customer requirements and represents an important new option for archival storage environments,” commented Nigel Street, Plasmon CEO. “Organisations are under increasing pressure to address the risks of both non and over-compliance with record retention requirements. UDO Compliant Write-Once media, by providing both unalterable retention and secure destruction, is a very effective tool for organisations to manage the entire lifecycle of their data.”

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