Statement issued Thursday by the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center:

Harlan, Ind. – Computer service technicians and small companies with a need to destroy de-commissioned hard drives now have a portable and affordable tool to make it happen, thanks to the invention of a local engineer and his new company, Doktor Krusher, LLC. David Weikel, an electrical engineer from Harlan, came up with the idea while working as a consultant and implementation manager for a company that handles a lot of confidential information related to driver's license credentialing. There was a requirement to replace hundreds of computers in a large geographic area and each of the old computers held potentially-sensitive data. Weikel saw the need to destroy computer hard drives very quickly after they were no longer needed so the confidential data stored on them could be made permanently unavailable. The highest-security solution was to destroy the hard drives onsite as soon as the old computers were turned off for the last time.

After consulting with the National Institute of Standards and Technology for guidance on how to securely dispose of old data and storage devices, Weikel did research on the existing equipment that was already on the market. His research disclosed that there were basically two types of devices available for destroying hard drives: power crushers and manual crushers. He found that the power crushers are massive devices that typically run from $4,500 to $12,000 each, while the manual arbor press-and-crank crushers cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 each and, like the power crushers, are difficult to move around due to their weight.

Weikel came up with an innovative idea that he believes is well suited for service technicians and small companies, as well as large companies with multiple locations that want to safely destroy de-commissioned hard drives at a minimal cost. His product, called Doktor Krusher Model 3510, sells for $399, just a fraction of what the other devices cost. What's more, its portable size – requiring less than one-half square foot of bench space and weighing less than 20 lbs. – makes it handy for small companies and service technicians to use anywhere the need arises.

The Doktor Krusher, which Weikel describes as a "no frills, just get the job done" type device, can easily be moved from room to room or from one job site to the next. And he said that although the device is compact, its crushing mechanism delivers up to 4,000 pounds of crushing force and works on virtually all 3.5-inch hard drives.

"Certainly there are other businesses out there that do this, but their products are bulky and much more costly," Weikel stresses. "Our device not only eliminates the high costs associated with the other products, but it also gets the job done -- resulting in a drive frame that's broken, with platters warped beyond use and data that is gone forever. Best of all, it can be used almost anywhere. The sooner the drive is destroyed, the less chance the data on it will fall into the wrong hands."

Weikel – who calls himself the "Drive Destruction Evangelist" of Doktor Krusher, LLC – consulted with the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center before starting the new company to produce and sell the crushing devices. NEISBDC business advisor Wes Shie provided business start-up coaching and information after Weikel was referred to the center by Karl LaPan and Steve Franks from the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.

Weikel is a Fort Wayne native who graduated from Snider High School and ITT Technical Institute. His career included nine years with Tokheim Corporation, where he helped develop computer consoles that controlled gasoline dispensers, and more than two decades with the Secure Credentialing Division of L-1 Identity Solutions (and its predecessor companies) before retiring in 2009. In his "retirement," he has also worked as a consultant in the area of driver's license credentialing and, more recently, has been involved in commercial product photography.

Mary Ann Weikel is joining her husband at Doktor Krusher as an agent for the firm, handling the administrative side of the business. Also a native of Fort Wayne, she is a graduate of Wayne High School and Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She retired from a career in securities accounting after working for 15 years as a Certified Public Accountant.

For more information on the Doktor Krusher Model 3510, visit the firm's Web site at www.doktorcrusher.com, or call the Weikels at 260-433-9591. To learn more about the services of the Northeast Indiana SBDC, visit www.isbdc.org or call 260-481-0500.