Imation Announces IronKey Workspace W700, WTG USB Drive With FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification

Imation Corp. announced the availability of IronKey Workspace W700 devices to be FIPS 140-2 level 3 certified.

Achievement of this certification required testing, which was then reviewed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification is a requirement for civilian and military U.S. federal agencies, as well as a benchmark for security and reliability for enterprises looking for the highest level of security. Government and enterprise organizations looking to adopt a mobile device strategy with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation now have a Windows To Go option.

Windows To Go is an enterprise feature of Windows 8.1 that lets people be productive from almost any location they choose to work by inserting the Windows To Go USB drive into any compatible PC of their choice. An organization’s corporate image, OS, applications and data are all contained on the Microsoft-certified IronKey Workspace USB drive. The host PC boots off the Windows To Go drive using local resources such as monitors, CPUs and network connections. The drive can be centrally managed and offers remote wipe features to protect against loss and theft. The solution is ideal for mobile workers, teleworkers and contractors, fueling secure BYOD strategies that allow employees to use their home PCs for work.

“Enterprise users are experiencing new possibilities in mobile productivity with Windows To Go, and they’re implementing the technology in many exciting ways,” said Stella Chernyak, senior director, Windows commercial marketing, Microsoft Corp. “It’s great to see Imation offering a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified device, like the IronKey Workspace W700, that can help government agencies and other highly regulated industries take advantage of Windows To Go.“

Leveraging Imation’s expertise in delivering mobile workspaces, This is the third IronKey Windows To Go device certified by Microsoft. Secured with hardware encrypted protection of secure and rugged flash drives, its drives are part of IronKey’s total government- and industrial-grade mobile workspace solution. With options including centralized device management and bulk provisioning, It transforms any compatible computer into an IT-provisioned, IT-managed and IT-secured workstation for a fraction of the price of issuing a laptop.

Centralized management is available for the devices. Using the on-premise IronKey Enterprise Management Server, IT departments can implement policy control, reporting, password reset and ‘silver bullet’ features for remotely disabling and decommissioning a device- all via a central dashboard.

Features and benefits:

• FIPS 140-2 Level 3 full device certification for compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Support for CAC/PIV, enabling active-duty military personnel, government employees and federal contractors to unlock their IronKey Workspace W700 devices with their issued smart cards and gain authentication to their desktops.

• Ruggedized, waterproof drives, according to military standards (MIL-STD-810F), with a virtually indestructible metal casing that protects against physical damage and has sealed components that defend against tampering.

• Speed, with more than five times the minimum R/W performance required for Windows To Go Microsoft-certified devices.

• Support for hardware environments including PCs, some tablets and Macs (support for Macs is provided by Imation).

• Security with hardware-based AES-256 bit encryption and authentication to keep data safe.

• Ease of use for an IT provisioned, managed and secured workspace infrastructure that includes a start-up assistant that helps configure the computer system for automatic USB boot to Windows To Go, an easy-to-understand end-user interface and self-help options with links to useful webpages.

• A range of capacity options (32GB, 64GB, and 128GB).

“With full device FIPS 140-2 Level 3 encryption, IronKey Workspace sets a new security standard in the mobile workspace market,” said Ken Jones, VP of engineering and product management, IronKey. “Our customers have told us that security is a major concern for mobile workers. Government workers, in particular, must have their computers with them at all times. IronKey Workspace W700 not only makes it easier for workers to transport their Windows desktops, it is one of the most secure Windows 8.1 Windows To Go devices available today.“

This rounds out Imation’s Microsoft-certified Windows To Go options for any organization’s security needs:

• IronKey Workspace W700 delivers a certified, high-performance platform for Windows To Go deployment in government organizations and enterprises; it also provides optional device management.

• IronKey Workspace W500 delivers a high-performance platform that includes hardware encryption and a rugged metal enclosure, with enterprise-grade deployment and device management options, for organizations not requiring FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification but needing the same level of security.

• IronKey Workspace W300 delivers high performance on an IronKey device using BitLocker password protection capabilities in Windows To Go and up to 256-bit AES full disk encryption, making it an option for employees working and collaborating remotely who do not handle sensitive data but want the same high productivity experienced from the desktop.

These solutions meet the challenge of protecting mobile workforce, featuring secure USB solutions for data transport and mobile workspaces. The line includes some of the hardware encrypted USB drives for storage, secure workspace devices for Windows To Go, and cloud-based or on-premise centralized device management solutions.