Infosec 2010: Verbatim unveils secure USB and SSDs

Verbatim's new products offer remote control and lockdown to protect data

Storage firm Verbatim is demonstrating a range of enterprise storage products at the Infosec 2010 show in London.

The devices come under the banner 'Secure 'n' Go', and include secure USB and solid state drives, and SSD ExpressCard for laptop PCI slots offering remote control and lockdown.

Verbatim said that its new storage products include AES 256-bit hardware encryption, and that once registered could be manually controlled via a browser. This feature will allow users to unlock a device using a password, or erase all data should the device fall into the wrong hands or be misplaced.

The encryption features let users stay within European Union legal and regulatory requirements for handling data, the firm said.

"Organisations need to ensure that data is secure for legal reasons, but they also should do it to prevent the company's reputation being damaged," said Hans-Christoph Kaiser, business development manager for Flash at Verbatim Europe.

"Today, data loss is a significant legal and regulatory issue and those responsible for IT within companies need to be fully aware of this."

The Secure Data USB Drive/SSD ExpressCard products include built-in McAfee anti-virus support and a virus scanner for a 12-month period. Should the user decide to continue this, a charge will be involved.

Other releases from the firm include the server-based Verbatim Control System, which will let IT teams monitor all storage devices being used within an organisation.

This could be used to lock, unlock and erase drives, audit and trace their use, including log analysis, and provide granular control over devices on a per-user basis.

"In corporate environments, data security is an ongoing concern for IT managers, as lost or compromised Flash drives can have serious business consequences," said Kaiser.

"As the number of corporate USB drives increases, so does the need for centralised management tools that allow IT administrators to efficiently deploy, maintain and enforce security policies with enhanced manageability and scalability."