Secure data sanitisation, with a per-media report
The rental contract has ended and the machines must go back with no data inside? Ecobraz performs logical sanitisation with a documented method and a per-media report — the equipment stays usable, and the risk is set out in writing. Where sanitisation is not technically applicable, we say so in the assessment and recommend physical destruction.
Situations where formatting is not enough — and sanitisation is
Is even one item on this list true for you? Then this page was written for you — describe your situation in one minute and get a technical reply, not a sales call.
- The lease has ended and the leasing company will receive back machines holding years of company data
- The computer donation is stuck because no one can vouch for what remains on the disks
- Internal policy requires verifiable data removal before any equipment leaves
- The audit asked for evidence of sanitisation and all that exists is a screenshot of a format
- The estate is going to internal redeployment, but the team has neither the tool nor the time to treat disk by disk
Formatting is not sanitisation — and the difference is costly
Data 'erased' any old way remains recoverable with a common tool.
The formatted disk that keeps talking
A simple format does not remove data: it removes the index. Whoever receives the machine — leasing company, buyer or recipient — can recover files with free software.
Real cost: an LGPD incident with a penalty of up to 2% of turnover (capped at R$ 50 million) — born from a piece of equipment that left 'clean'.The leasing return that takes your data with it
The returned machine is refurbished and goes to the next organisation. Without recorded sanitisation, your contracts and spreadsheets travel in the package.
Real cost: strategic data circulating outside your control — not even counted as a detectable breach.The donation that becomes a headline
Donating computers is excellent — until a piece of sensitive data turns up on the donated machine. The social gesture becomes a reputational crisis and a legal case.
Real cost: the organisation's social project suspended and the brand associated with a breach — for the wrong reason.From 'I think they wiped it' to 'it's in the report'
The difference between trusting and being able to prove.
How it leaves today
- Simple formatting, with no defined method
- No record of which media was treated
- Returns and donations stuck by doubt
- Audit answered with a screenshot
- Each technician does it their own way
With Ecobraz sanitisation
- Documented method, applied media by media
- Report identifying the media treated
- Equipment cleared to return, reuse or donate
- Evidence ready for audit and for the DPO
- Media not applicable? We recommend physical destruction — in writing
What sanitisation unlocks
The value of the equipment is preserved; the data risk is eliminated.
Leasing returned without fear
The machines go back to the leasing company clean and with a report — contract closed with no loose ends.
Reuse and redeployment
The estate circulates internally without carrying data from one department to another.
Donation unlocked
The social project moves forward with legal certainty — and the organisation reaps the reputational benefit.
DPO and audit satisfied
Per-media evidence, in the format that internal policy and the LGPD require.
What is included — and what is not
Scope declared before scheduling reduces rework and surprises. Each batch is assessed technically.
In scope
- HDDs and SSDs in laptops, desktops and servers
- Standalone media: external disks, storage units
- Whole estates in leasing return or redeployment
- Equipment destined for corporate donation
- Media-by-media applicability check during the assessment
Sanitisation is offered where technically applicable — the assessment checks the media, its condition and the requirement. Where it is not the right path, you receive the recommendation for physical destruction with the same clarity.
Out of scope
- Damaged or encrypted media without the key — these go to physical destruction
- Requirements for definitive destruction — physical destruction page
- Household batteries, toner, lamps and other standard exclusions
- Chemical, biological, radioactive or contaminated waste
Sanitisation and physical destruction are distinct services, each with its own methods and deliverables — mixing them is technically imprecise.
How it works, from contact to final destination
No collection is confirmed without a technical assessment. That is what keeps the operation predictable and documentable.
Describe the estate
Quantity, media types, intended destination (return, reuse, donation) and deadline.
Technical assessment
We check applicability media by media and the level of evidence required.
Scope defined
Method, place of execution, records and what happens to media that is not applicable.
Recorded execution
Sanitisation applied with a record per media treated.
Final report
Document identifying the media and the method applied — ready for audit.
What remains when the data is gone
The documentation reflects what was actually carried out in each batch — no generic promises.
Sanitisation report
Identification of the media treated and the method applied, per media.
Applicability record
Which media was sanitised and which proceeded to physical destruction — no grey area.
Chain of custody
Where the operation includes collection, the journey is recorded end to end.
Documented scope
Method, place and responsibilities defined before execution.
Integration with disposal
MTR and CDF where the service includes equipment disposal, as applicable.
Evidence with a limit
The report states what was done — and does not promise what was not.
Why sanitise with Ecobraz
Technical honesty is the differentiator: not every disk can be sanitised — and you will know which.
Technical limit declared
Where sanitisation is not applicable, we say so in the assessment and recommend physical destruction — in writing, not for convenience.
Per-media report
It is not a generic statement: each media treated appears identified in the report.
15 years of operation
An association founded in 2011, recognised on EU and UN platforms — scope declared on the evidence page.
Full flow if you need it
Sanitisation can integrate with collection, disposal and documentation for the whole batch — one supplier, one operation.
What IT, security and the DPO ask
What is the difference between sanitisation and formatting?
Formatting removes the index of the files; the data stays on the disk and is recoverable with common tools. Sanitisation applies a documented method of logical removal to make the data unrecoverable — with a record of the process per media.
Is the equipment still usable afterwards?
Yes — that is the difference from physical destruction. Sanitised media stays functional, ready for leasing return, internal reuse or donation.
And if the media is damaged or encrypted?
The assessment identifies media where sanitisation is not technically applicable. In those cases, we recommend physical destruction, to the same standard of record-keeping.
Does the report identify each media?
Yes, subject to scope: the media treated appears identified in the report, with the method applied — it is the format that audits and DPOs ask for.
Do you also collect and dispose of the equipment?
Yes. Sanitisation can be contracted on its own or integrated with collection, disposal and documentation for the batch — inventory, MTR and CDF where applicable.
Could also be part of your operation
Physical destruction of data and media
When the requirement is definitive destruction, with custody and record.
View solution →Decommissioned IT assets
Planned removal of the estate with inventory and custody.
View solution →Documentation and traceability
How each operation generates the evidence that underpins audits.
View solution →Published basis, with a persistent identifier
This subject is developed in an original technical report by Ecobraz Emigre, published with a DOI on the open Zenodo repository.
VILLANOVA, Marcio. Risco Residual de Dados em Equipamentos Desativados: Governança de Mídias, Sanitização e Prestação de Contas. Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21398306 · All publications →
How many machines are waiting to leave — and what still lives on their disks?
Describe the estate, the intended destination and the deadline. The team comes back with applicability, scope and the report template.