Kingston DataTraveler 6000 USB review

With almost all firms placing confidential information on portable storage devices, the need to prevent that data from falling into the wrong hands is one of the biggest challenges faced by organisations.

Public-sector bodies such as local authorities and hospitals are notorious for losing unencrypted devices containing confidential data. With storage firm Kingston Technology offering a USB range that provides military-grade encryption, organisations really have no excuse for leaving data unsecured.

The latest addition to the Kingston DataTraveler range is the DT6000, which incorporates Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 3 validation and 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The FIPS standard is used by US government organisations to protect sensitive data, so it should be more than adequate for UK organisations.

FIPS 140-2 Level 3 security requires devices to have a secure tamper-proof coating. In terms of design, the USB drive is solid. It comes with a Titanium-coated stainless-steel waterproof casing and a tightly sealed lid.

The DataTraveler 6000 is straightforward to use and works with PCs and Macs. The USB 2.0 drive features two disk volumes: a read-only partition that stores documentation and a secured partition where confidential documents can be kept.

The device is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and 7, as well as Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) and above, and setup takes all of five minutes. Users simply have to plug it into a USB port and click on the DT6000 Launcher to begin. After agreeing to the end-user licensing agreement, a password can then be created.

Passwords must be at least eight characters long and can contain a maximum of 128 characters. Additionally, passwords must contain three of the following characters: upper case, lower case, numeric and/or special characters. This helps to create a complex password that should serve as an effective barrier in the event of the device being lost or stolen.