ATLANTA, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- Secure Erase Firmware-Based Command Combined With Software Overwriting 
and Reporting Capabilities Safely Sanitize ATA and SCSI Drives

Blancco, the global leader in data erasure and end-of-lifecycle
solutions, today announced support for the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) guidelines for firmware-based erasure of ATA and SCSI
drives. With its new and enhanced client erasure software, Blancco takes the
NIST-recommended guidelines a step further by uniting them with a software
overwriting option that verifies complete erasure - a level of support not
found in other data erasure products.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080912/320621 )

"Blancco's software combines the ease of firmware-based data erasure with
the security and reporting capabilities of software overwriting to maximize
information security in all situations," says Markku Willgren, North American
vice president for business and sales development, Blancco. "Our client
software provides the accuracy and authenticity of a system-generated report
that indicates whether the firmware commands were recognized and provides
detailed information on erasure status."

Execution of the Secure Erase command for ATA drives and Format Unit
command for SCSI drives depends on the individual drive manufacturer's
implementation of NIST Standards and may fail in certain hardware
configurations. Blancco software adds an overwriting pass after issuance of
the firmware command that clears remapped sectors, offers a system-generated
report and avoids human error encountered with manual firmware command
execution alone.

"Blancco's software answers the growing demand from our clients for a
data destruction option that supports the NIST Secure Erase command," says
Jeff Neyland, CIO of Intechra (http://www.intechra.com), a leading provider 
of IT asset disposition services for over 20 years. "Blancco helps us in our
mission to make enterprise-grade asset disposition reliable, worry-free, and
efficient."

In addition to supporting NIST Standards, Blancco's client software
features enhanced support of SAS/SATA drives and network cards for
over-the-network data erasure and reporting. Other enhancements include
serial console operation for data center equipment with limited connectivity,
such as blade servers.

Through its support of NIST guidelines, Blancco continues its commitment
to delivering advanced data erasure for the widest range of hardware in the
industry. Blancco's data erasure solutions adhere to all major government and
military erasure standards, while their ability to erase all data - even on
hidden and remapped sectors - meets HIPAA, SOX, GLBA and other regulatory
requirements. As the industry leader, Blancco's expertise ensures smooth
integration of automated data erasure, hardware asset management and report
collection for any organization.

About Blancco

Blancco software is the proven data erasure solution for millions of
users around the globe and is the industry's most certified erasure software.
The company serves users across a wide range of industries, including
banking, finance, government and defense, as well as refurbishing and
remarketing professionals. Blancco operates from an extensive network of
international offices and partners across Europe, North America, Asia, and
Australasia. More information is available at http://www.blancco.com.

Media Contact:

    Monica Shaw
    Carabiner Communications
    +1-770-367-9534
    mshaw@carabinerpr.com