Many organizations are looking for new ways to increase the productivity of offsite users.  This no longer includes just the field team, but is now including more general employees who can be enabled to work from home.  The US Government is extending its Telework policy with this sort of flexible arrangement in mind.

Security and managability are key issues to consider in a Telework policy.  Kanguru and Absolute ID have designed the RocIT Defender virtual platform with these priorities in mind.

1. Secure, Portable Operating System on a hardware encrypted flash drive.  (FIPS 140-2 version available)

2. Not vulnerable to infection by malware and viruses on untrusted machines. Device can bypass all of this!

3. Can be remotely managed: delete lost or stolen drives, update files on device, etc.

4. Lower total cost of ownership with stronger security than notebook and tablet computers.

Find out more about the RocIT Defender “PC on a Stick” at our website.

Data Security, Government

11 Things You Can Do With Kanguru Defender Elite Encrypted Flash Drives

1. Communicate security policy changes and updates directly to the drive and enforce changes as necessary via remote management.
2. Audit drive usage to ensure policy updates.
3. Create lists (whitelist/blacklist) of approved IP ranges so that drives are only used in trusted locations.
4. Track device usage and location via IP addresses.
5. Set a master password for administrator access.
6. Immunize any PC or Laptop with Defender Elite’s onboard Anti-Virus.
7. Disable and/or delete devices that have been lost or stolen.
8. Meet regulatory requirements through the use of a verifiable security audit trail.
9. Track device activity on each workstation/computer using Kanguru USB Device Control.
10. Revoke drive access to former employees still in possession of their drives.  (Particularly useful if their drive contains proprietary company info.)
11. Sleep well knowing that 100% of your data is secure!

Data Security

The Kanguru Remote Management Console (KRMC) for USB Flash Drives is now available as a Cloud-based subscription service. 

KRMC is a powerful tool for managing Secure USB Drives throughout your organization.  Lost drives can be remotely terminated, the help desk can remotely assist users, and all actions can be logged and audited for compliance.  KRMC Enterprise Edition is currently being used by hospitals, banks, government agencies, and other large organizations to protect sensitive information.  Now KRMC Cloud Edition is available for smaller organizations to get the same protection without investing in infrastructure.

Read the full announcement here.

Data Security, Portable Storage

Kanguru has just published a new whitepaper that explains how to use data cloning to roll out a new Operating System.  Transitioning to a new OS, like Windows 7, can be time-consuming and tie up your IT staff for weeks or months.  Using automated data cloning devices like the Kanguru Hard Drive Duplicator can greatly speed up the process.

This paper (PDF) explains the process of data cloning and the advantages of hardware-based duplicators.  It also has a step-by-step guide to creating a master system image and provisioning multiple computers at once.  Rather than installing a new OS, searching for system drivers and then reinstalling all of the applications, you can create one master disk and simply replicate it.  The time-savings easily cover the cost of the duplicator.

Duplication

One of our customers called last week to tell us the story of how the Kanguru Mini-Clone saved the day.  This gentleman runs his own small business and stores very important files on his PC.  Taking no chances, the system is set up with dual hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration.  If one drive fails, the second drive contains an exact copy.  Unfortunately, disaster struck when the motherboard failed and neither drive could be accessed.

The hard drives were quickly removed from the system and popped into the Kanguru Mini-Clone.  The first drive was faulty, but the second one powered right up.  Our customer was able to access and download all of his important files to another system through the USB connection.  (The unit supports both USB and eSATA.)  While he was at it, he used the Mini-Clone to make an exact duplicate of the functional drive and put it in the safe for backup.  The business was able carry on with minimal interruption.

Kanguru Mini-Clone - Hard Drive Duplicator

We thought this was a great illustration of the versatility of the Kanguru Mini-Clone.  In addition to being a hard drive docking station and cloner, the product also has data wiping functions to sanitize old equipment.  It’s a great product for any size business.

Data Backup, Duplication

Via Axcess News:

A survey released today reveals that in the last year, 4,500 memory sticks have been forgotten in people’s pockets as they take their clothes to be washed at the local dry cleaners.   From 6th April onwards if data is lost and it causes a major security breach, this could now cost a company up to £500k with new powers given to the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) to fine companies who have not sufficiently protected customers details under the Data Protection Act.

This is actually an improvement compared to last year’s survey, which hopefully means that security awareness is improving.  It’s still an awfully large number of flash drives, though, and there is no telling what kind of data is on them.  Given today’s large storage capacities, a memory stick could contain an entire database.  Wouldn’t you want the power to remotely delete a lost drive before it turns up at the dry cleaner?

Data Security, Portable Storage

Due to popular demand, the Kanguru Hard Drive Duplicator now features full support for Solid State Drives.  SSD’s, which are rapidly replacing standard hard drives in laptops and netbooks, can be imaged, resized and sanitized using the HDD Duplicator.

Typical applications include:

• Deploying new laptops with a standard image of Operating System and Applications
• Upgrading an older drive to a new larger drive without partitioning
• Creating a full system back-up to use in the event of a hard drive crash
• Securely wiping all data before re-using or disposing

Adaptors for mini-SATA and micro-SATA connections are available.

Duplication

Today’s GCN Lab Review features a device that automatically cracks passwords on SD memory cards.  The device, manufactured by ManTech, uses brute-force techniques to guess every word in the dictionary and then tries random combinations until it hits the password.  Strong passwords can slow this process down, but unless there are brute-force protections built into the device, it is only a matter of time before the password is cracked.

This is a good opportunity to point out the brute-force protections that are standard on Kanguru secure USB flash drives.  By default, Kanguru Defender and Defender Elite flash drives allow only 6 incorrect attempts before the drive is completely deleted and reformatted using a secure data wipe algorithm.  Using Kanguru Administrator Tools, additional security measures can be configured, including:

• Strong password enforcement – password length and content (upper case, lower case, number, special char)
• Force users to change password every 30 or 90 days, or at next login
• Restrict users from using the same password multiple times
• Customize the number of incorrect login attempts that are allowable
• Configurable options for brute-force prevention:
  • Automatically delete all data (default)
  • Activate time-out period (configurable time period)
  • Disable the device until an Administrator unlocks it

These settings can also be remotely managed from anywhere in the world with Kanguru Remote Management Console.

Data Security, Portable Storage

HSBC has been fined over £3 million ($5 million) for data security procedures that fail to meet Financial Services Authority (FSA) requirements.

The FSA said that, in April 2007, HSBC Acutaries lost a floppy disk in the post that contained 1,917 pension numbers and addresses. And, in February 2008, HSBC Life lost an unencrypted disk holding data on 180,000 policy holders – also in the post.

Costly data breaches can be avoided by remotely managing portable data.  Not only is the data encrypted, but the device can be programmed to remotely delete the next time it is plugged in.  The company has a log file to show the date, time and location where the data was destroyed.

Data Security, Financial, Portable Storage

Kanguru is now offering extended warranty plans on new Hard Drive and DVD Duplication units.  Plans will be 1-Year or 2-Year extensions.  The products have a 1-Year standard warranty, so coverage could be up to 3 years total.  We understand that customers want to protect their investments in IT equipment and that products and companies are judged over a lifetime of use.

Extended warranties are available up to 30 days after the purchase of your Duplicator.  Just contact Kanguru or your favorite reseller.

Duplication