Origin offers drive encryption for enterprise laptops

Origin Storage has unveiled a range of Enigma SED hard drives which it claims will make it easier to deploy organisation-wide data encryption.

The drives offer a retro-fitting solution for existing laptops, bringing on-the-fly hardware AES 256 encryption to all data stored on the device.

The firm offers bare drives and kits for Dell, HP, Compaq, Lenovo and Toshiba laptops, and around 40 models are being supported at launch.

The package is based around Toshiba's 2.5in hard drives with a built-in AES 256 encryption chip allowing for real-time encryption of data with no performance hit on the system, the firm said. The drives also meet Trusted Computing Group's Opal certification.

Origin Storage offers a service to install and migrate existing data to the new drives, but managing director Andy Cordial said that the majority of IT departments are able to "cope with the transition". Each kit comes with Acronis drive imaging software and a data transfer cable.

Open source firm TrueCrypt provides a free alternative, but Cordial said that, from an enterprise view, managers will have to worry about what is or isn't encrypted. With implementations such as TrueCrypt, Cordial argued, the user is given a choice of what is encrypted which may not encompass all sensitive data.

The Enigma SED drives also employ pre-boot authentication from WinMagic, mitigating possible break-in attempts using the Stoned Bootkit software that has undermined the creditability of TrueCrypt.

The software included is for machines running Windows, but Cordial said that it would be possible to run the drive on other systems such as Apple's Macbooks. However, as those systems employ EFI rather than BIOS, customers would have to source their own software to replace that supplied by the firm.

The drives come in capacities of 160GB, 320GB and 500GB, and prices range from £200 to £240 regardless of the laptop model they are destined for.

Cordial said that a portable version is a "possibility", but that differing encryption chips would require recertification to meet security standards.

Origin Storage said that there is a six-week lead time from Toshiba, and that companies can expect to see the drives in distributors' hands by June.