Secure USB Drive

The UK Government’s data protection watchdog has recently criticised another health organisation for two incidences of data loss in early 2008, one of which involved the loss of an unencrypted USB flash drive. 

While this can seem negative, it’s an example of how attitudes to data security in the UK public sector are changing.  As a result of the Government’s data watchdog’s vigilance and willingness of organisations that have suffered losses to change, the English National Health Service is one of the most advanced in successfully rolling out DLP systems, including mandatory hardware-encrypted USB drives.

An excellent example of how this can be done is given by NHS Dumfries and Galloway, which earlier this year deployed 1100 SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise secure flash drives to protect confidential patient data.

An interesting point was that NHS Dumfries & Galloway didn’t just hand the secure drives to users:  they held an amnesty so that staff could bring in old USB pen drives containing confidential information for orderly disposal.

The organisation arranged distribution days where they travelled to its various different office locations to give out the new drives.  This helped to ensure that all staff knew about the amnesty, and had a chance to familiarise themselves with the organisation’s updated polices – an example of good practice for anyone planning a similar roll-out.

A major health organization in North East England, NHS South of Tyne and Wear, has deployed 800 SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise secure flash drives as part of a layered approach to device security.

The organisation has responded to UK Government drives for improved data security in the public sector, and is using FrontRange Solutions’ Device Wall to control the transfer of information to encrypted devices, alongside McAfee endpoint encryption and the SanDisk USB pen drives.

It has replaced 800 flash drives with the encrypted devices and once port control across all endpoints is enabled, staff will only be able to use their authorised, issued drive.

Torbay Care Trust, an integrated community health and adult social care organisation in the South West of England, has chosen our Cruzer Enterprise secure USB flash drives to help protect mobile data stored on the drives from unauthorized access.

The organisation has purchased and rolled out 1000 Cruzer Enterprise flash drives. The drives will be issued to and used by all staff members, in particular those employees working remotely or transferring data between sites.
 
“We decided to deploy an encrypted USB solution across the Trust as data security breaches have become a national concern,” said Sue Fankhauser, IT buyer for Torbay Care Trust. “Our IT department felt that it was necessary to employ a best-practice solution to protect data against any potential threats and to reassure the public that patient data is secured. After evaluating numerous encrypted flash drives, we chose the Cruzer Enterprise flash drive because it met all of our security requirements.
 
“We also asked SanDisk to send us the USBs without any unnecessary packaging - which they were more than happy to do. As well as being environmentally friendly, this produced no waste at our end, helping to support our eco-friendly policies.”
 
Recent data security breaches within other Government organisations have led to calls for greater data security with transportable media devices, such as data sticks, and by deploying the SanDisk drive, Torbay Care Trust feels it is setting the standard for others to follow.

Hay Group, a global management consultancy, is deploying Cruzer Enterprise secure USB flash drives and Central Management & Control (CMC) software to help protect confidential business and client data.

The company’s UK operation wanted to extend data security to cover USB flash drives, and add further protection for third-party data and internal files against loss or theft while its consultants are away from the office.  The company also plans to deploy SanDisk’s Central Management & Control (CMC) software to manage the lifecycle of the drives.
 
Gary Spokes, Hay Group’s data protection officer said:  “Intellectual property is our business – and clients rely on our confidentiality.  As part of our ongoing drive to improve data security, we identified the increasing use of USB memory sticks by our consultants.  We wanted a solution that kept the convenience of the drives, while ensuring data was fully protected.”
 
Hay Group UK IT manager Parminder Bharj added:  “The CMC software was a key factor for us, as it synchronizes with Active Directory to ensure adherence to our data security policies.  For example, we can ensure users can only set complex passwords, and terminate drives that are lost or stolen.  It lets users get on with their work without having to worry about data being secured.”

SanDisk Enterprise, a branch of SanDisk Corporation recently announced that their USB flash drives and Central Management & Control (CMC) server software has been selected by the State of Washington’s Division of Child Support (DCS) to protect confidential client data at DCS headquarters and in 10 field offices statewide.

DCS collects about $700 million per year in child-support payments and manages about 350,000 active child-support cases.

SanDisk Enterprise develops USB encryption in flash drives to allow users a password protected flash drive. This way, the user is ensured USB security at all times. Data is not compromised, and users can continue to use secure USB flash drives. Read More »

Howard County General Hospital USB security Selection

Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland, has selected SanDisk’s Cruzer® Enterprise secure USB flash drives and Central Management & Control (CMC) server software to protect highly confidential medical and organizational data.

Part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine health care system, Howard County General Hospital (HCGH) is a comprehensive medical center providing services to more than 165,000 people a year, with a staff of 1,700 full-time and part-time employees, as well as more than 800 physicians and other allied health professionals. Read More »