Imation Brings StealthZONE Secure USB Desktop Environment

Imation Corp. announced the availability of its secure StealthZONE desktop environment to enterprise customers.

Already used by national governments and intelligence agencies due to its ability to provide a Secure USB Desktop on a pocket-sized high-security device, StealthZONE will support firms requiring a managed, secure work environment on any computer.

The growing phenomenon of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is posing security challenges for enterprises. A survey covering 17 countries by business technology company Avanade, Inc. found that employees in 88% of organisations were using their own personal computing technologies for business purposes.

Furthermore, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, Inc. on behalf of Imation found that while 91% of companies allow removable storage devices on their networks, only 34% enforce encryption policies.

Separate Imation research has shown that 82% of IT professionals are concerned or very concerned about the effect of the use of personal devices on IT security. As a result some 36% of organisations do not allow the use of personal devices, meaning that organisations’ concerns around security are preventing them from unlocking major benefits attached to BYOD schemes.

StealthZONE devices solve the BYOD conundrum by providing a secure, consistent work environment on any USB-capable end point. This means that the choice of host machine is unimportant, and can be left up to the employee with none of the usual concerns around security, feasibility or licensing.

The user plugs a managed, secure StealthZONE USB device into their home computer, laptop or almost any unsecured Windows PC, and boots Windows from the USB device. After up to three-factor authentication, the user gains access to an isolated Microsoft Windows workspace. Since computing occurs solely within the trusted environment of the device, applications and data are kept separate from the unsecured PC’s hardware and are therefore protected from threats. When the StealthZONE device is removed from the host PC, it leaves no trace behind.

"Imation’s StealthZONE solution is ideal for enterprises with a large mobile workforce," comments Nick Banks, head of EMEA and APAC, Imation Mobile Security. "Enabling any untrusted computer to be transformed into a secure, IT-managed system is invaluable for mobile workers, and given some of the troubling statistics we see about the amount of employees working remotely in an unsecure fashion and using unencrypted storage devices for work purposes, enterprises seriously need to consider securing their mobile workforces."