Degaussing is the process of totally erasing data by reducing or eliminating an unwanted information stored on tape and disk media. A degaussing machine changes the magnetic area, where the data is stored, of magnetic data storage devices.
When the degausser is applied to magnetic domains the information is scrambled into random patterns, making the data stored in the magnetic domain unreadable. The correct use of a the appropriate degausser will ensure that information is no longer retrievable.