What is Hardware Purge?
Hardware purge is the effective, hardware-based erasure of all data blocks in flash memory, which returns the SSD to its original state at the time of manufacture. Compared to software-based methods which utilize the ATA command to erase data, hardware purge uses an external switch to adjust the voltage level from High to Low via the controller’s General Purpose Input/Output. By short-circuiting the hardware purge pin (See Figure 1), the quick erase function is activated and all data written to the SSD is fully erased. Erased data is non-recoverable, meaning that confidential information is made safe by being destroyed.
Transcend’s Hardware Purge
In addition to data encryption, Transcend Information offers a variety of SATA III SSD models that can be equipped with a hardware purge function to execute a quick, secure erase. The hardware purge pin is connected to the designated pin of the controller’s GPIO (See Figure 2). [Customized firmware settings are required to support the hardware purge pin.] With Transcend’s hardware purge feature, sensitive data can be securely, permanently erased in an effective way.