Some data recovery companies claim to have a Cleanroom and state they are ISO 9001:2008 certified. Unfortunately, any company may claim to meet these standards without any outside verification by a third-party.
The International Standards Organization (ISO) states that to certify for ISO 9001.9008:
It is recommended that an organization performs internal audits to check how its quality management system is working. An organization may decide to invite an independent certification body to verify that it is in conformity to the standard, but there is no requirement for this.
On the other hand, certification to an ISO 14644-1 standard requires third-party review and approval. This standard states that:
Requirements integral to the operation and maintenance of Cleanrooms have been met.
To receive ISO 14644-1 certification, a company must be audited for adherence to standards in the following areas:
- Operational systems
- Selection and use of Cleanroom garments
- Training and monitoring of personnel and activities
- Installation and use of equipment
- Requirements for materials used in the Cleanroom
- Confirmation of the Cleanroom’s environment to design standards
Note that there are 3 different occupancy states allowed for Cleanroom certification:
- As-built: “condition where the installation is complete with all services connected and functioning but with no production equipment, materials or personnel present”
- At-rest: “condition where the installation is complete with equipment installed and operating in a manner agreed upon by the customer and supplier, but with no personnel present”
- Operational: “condition where the installation is functioning in the specified manner, with the specified number of personnel present and working in the manner agreed upon”
DriveSavers always chooses to undergo ISO certification audit while our Cleanroom is operational. This ensures that the air quality during your hard drive recovery matches that shown in the certification paperwork. “Operational” status is reflected in our ISO compliance certificate.
We have Certified ISO Class 5, 6 and 7 Cleanrooms, each used for specific purposes within a data recovery. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are only opened inside of our Certified ISO Class 5 Cleanroom. An ISO Class 5 standard allows for no more than 100,000 particles greater than .1 microns in size per cubic meter. For reference, there are 1,000 microns in a millimeter. Divide a millimeter by 10,000 and you have .1 microns
When choosing a data recovery service, always ask to view their Cleanroom certification. Check that it is certified to an ISO 14644-1 standard and that they have at least one ISO Class 5 area. Be sure to find the “occupancy state” and notice if it is noted as “as-built”, “at-rest” or “operational.”