Reviewed
by: Jeff
Matthews,
updated March 2007
Made
by: Alera
Technologies
Requires: A
little desk space, DVDs and CDs for disposal
MSRP: $49.99
(basic model), $129.00 (Plus model)
Do
you have important information that you would like
to keep away from prying eyes? Businesses that plan
to toss out some of their CD volumes that contain
corporate data should consider using the DVD/CD Shredder
as an inexpensive pre-disposal solution. One never
knows who might find your discarded CDs and DVDs
and try to load them to see what they contain. Alera
Technologies offers a variety of powerful security
solutions at relatively cheap prices. The DVD/CD
shredder is a no-brainer to use and requires no technical
knowledge of any kind. The DVD/CD shredder comes
complete with a registration card and manual and
is ready for use right out of the box. All you do
is plug the machine in, switch it to Auto and you're
all set to start protecting your private information.
As
of this March 2007 review update, the Alera DVD/CD
shredder is available in four different models
to accommodate a wide range of duty cycles. The
top of the line model does full cross-cutting and
also handles paper, credit cards and other items.
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As
an initial test, I started with a CD filled with freeware.
I inserted the CD into the receiver slot on the machine
and it automatically pulled the CD inside. After the CD
was ejected I could see ridges throughout the disc's top
and bottom layers which made it completely unreadable and
safe from prying eyes. In order to test the manufacturer's
promise, I inserted the CD into a computer drive and tried
to read the data. The computer gave me a hour glass, but
then was unable to load the CD.
Success!
There's
not much more to a shredder than that. CD, DVD, Blu-Ray
and HD-DVD discs are so completely ruined even by the
basic Alera DVD/CD Shredder that recovery is simply impossible
under most conceivable circumstances! The Alera DVD/CD
Shredder is essentially a desktop device done up in various
textures of basic black plastic with a couple of control
buttons on its top panel. It has a front slot which is
to small for finger and other valuable items which are
better off unshredded.
Cons: The
basic model is a bit noisy. It gives off a grinding noise
making you feel that you're in a wood workshop. This
machine is not the solution for a quiet office environment
unless you're isolated in private office. In order for
the device to shred 20-30 CDs in quick succession, the
person working the device must always be on hand feeding
the discs into the machine.
Pros: The
DVD/CD shredder is small and compact and weighs about
8 lbs (3.6 kilos). You can easily make room for it on
your desktop. A DVD and CD shredder for only $69.00 is
well worth the money because other methods (e.g.: professional
data shredding services) are either more expensive or
(when snapping CDs or DVDs in half by hand) downright
dangerous. Businesses often store customer, personnel,
confidential and manufacturing data on large volumes
of CDs. The DVD/CD shredder comes into play offering
a powerful security solution when the time comes to destroy
data and backups which are no longer needed. The DVD/CD
shredder is able to destroy data at a very fast rate
- up to 30 DVD/CDs a minute.
