ITAD industry update
NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2: What the Media Sanitization Update Means for ITAD
NIST published updated media sanitization guidance in September 2025. Learn what businesses should review before retiring laptops, servers and storage.
Asset Aurality editorial team ·
A published update, not a new certification
NIST published SP 800-88 Revision 2, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, in September 2025, superseding Revision 1. Its focus includes establishing a sanitization program, not just choosing a tool to erase a device. This article is a November 2026 review of that published guidance, not a claim that the revision was released this week. (NIST: SP 800-88 Revision 2)
Review the decision process before the disposal date
NIST describes clear, purge and destroy as sanitization methods and emphasizes selecting controls appropriate to the information and media. Ask your ITAD provider to explain the proposed method, how it is verified and validated, and what happens when a device cannot complete the process. A reference to NIST guidance is not a NIST certification of the provider. (NIST media sanitization publication)
Translate guidance into a project checklist
For your next retirement project, identify the business owner, classify the information, reconcile the device inventory and obtain approval for the disposition route. Specify who can release equipment, how exceptions are quarantined and what evidence the provider must return. Agree those requirements before pickup rather than trying to reconstruct them later.
Ask for evidence that matches the assets
A useful scope connects each device or storage medium to its disposition record. Request the proposed record format and how serial-number discrepancies, failed drives and loose media will be handled. Do not assume that a generic recycling receipt answers your data-handling questions.
How to start in New Jersey, New York or Connecticut
Share your device list, storage types, locations and deadline with Asset Aurality. We can scope ITAD and data center decommissioning coordination around your approved requirements, including the documentation and specialist handling that the project needs.