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Over the course of each year, we attend a number of different technology conferences. After doing this over the past couple of years, there aren’t many booths that we stop at that have something completely surprising to us. At CES, we expect to be blown away with cutting edge ideas and advancements, but our expectations at smaller events are not nearly as high. That might have changed after we came across a line of products by Apricorn at the 2015 Arizona Technology Summit.

There is oneAegis-Secure-Key word that is always on the mind of IT professionals: security. Every business faces security concerns when it comes to it’s data and we have a slightly different way of handling it. We have been asked a number of times about how to safely transport information on flash drives or even larger portable drives. Apricorn has come up with a fantastic solution. Not only are the drives encrypted, but they have secure pin access. I am pretty sure that I made Jacy go back to the booth two or three times as we were walking around. It was one of those ideas that I didn’t know how I hadn’t thought of it.

Shortly after the conference, we were supplied with an Aegis Secure Key 3.0 to test out. This particular model is a 30GB USB 3.0 drive. It works with any operating system and it was relatively easy to use right out of the box . Detailed instructions are provided on how to program the device and prepare it for first use. (I will note that it does come ready for use on a Windows machine, but a quick format in Disk Utility on the Mac will have it ready in no time!) Once the drive is unlocked using the PIN, it functions just like any other external drive. Another feature is the ability to reset the drive and erase all data directly from the keypad on the drive itself. If the device is lost, there is peace of mind that after 20 consecutive incorrect pin entries all data on the device will be automatically deleted.

As with all data, it is urged that you have a backup. Once the data on the drive is erased it will be gone, but as a tool to transport data it is a brilliant solution. I would encourage you to take a look at all of the hardware encrypted products that Apricorn has to offers. For business or personal use, these products are truly useful in keeping your data safe.