Origin offers self-encrypting drive upgrade for laptops

Origin Storage has announced a hard disk upgrade kit based on Seagate's self-encrypting drive technology, enabling companies to secure data on laptops with a solution that meets the US government's FIPS 140-2 standard.

Aimed at the corporate and SME markets, Enigma FIPS combines a Seagate Momentus self-encrypting hard drive with a USB or eSata data transfer cable and Acronis disk cloning software, allowing customers to keep any existing data from each laptop as it is upgraded.

Each drive is fitted with a mounting kit to fit straight into a laptop, and comes with WinMagic's MySecureDoc Express management software which provides pre-boot authentication, requiring the user to enter a password before Windows can be started.

The Seagate Momentus drives are certified to the "government grade" FIPS 140-2 standard, meaning that customers can be assured that data on their laptops will be safe if any system should be lost or stolen, according to Origin Storage.

"The FIPS 140-2 certification security standard enables the widespread adoption of encrypting hard drives for laptops and other computers as the explosive growth of laptops puts more sensitive personal and business information at risk," said Origin Storage managing director Andy Cordial.

The Enigma FIPS kits support Windows 7 and are suitable for laptops with Sata hard drives. Capacities are available up to 500GB, and prices for the upgrade kits start at £249.

Seagate announced earlier this month that it has shipped over one million units of its self-encrypting drives to date.