Addonics External CipherChain ($95)

Addonics Technologies, Inc. announced the External CipherChain, a disk hardware encryption product that lets users encrypt about any external data storage device with eSATA or SATA connection – from sensitive data on external RAID storage devices to external hard drives, Solid State Drives (SSDs), and many flash media.

Built on a FIPS certified AES 256-bit crypto engine, the External CipherChain is as easy to use. The simple insertion of the Cipher Key activates the encryption and decryption of data on the fly with no noticeable performance degradation. There is no software or driver to install and no special training required. The External CipherChain is operating system independent.

Any external storage device with eSATA or SATA connection can be attached to the External CipherChain, which in turn connects to any host via an eSATA port. The External CipherChain can also connect to USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports on any computer with an optional Addonics adapter.

The compact size and rugged metal housing of the External CipherChain makes it portable and easy to deploy in environments where applications require data security. The External CipherChain operates at low power and can be powered directly by the system using various Addonics optional cables.

The External CipherChain’s 256-bit encryption is considered the highest level of encryption. The full disk encryption encrypts the boot sector, partition table and all the information in the drive. If the encrypted external drive is stolen, the drive will appear as a brand new drive with no trace of any data.

The External CipherChain can also be used as a drive sanitization tool for removing any sensitive data stored on hard drives or flash media.

The list price is $95.