EXTERNAL SSD
Fiddly compared to a normal external SSD, but in return it’s supremely secure
iStorage DiskAshur M2
SCORE PRICE 2TB, £429 (£515 inc VAT) from istorage-uk.com
We’re all aware that enhanced security comes at the cost of convenience, and an external SSD such as the iStorage DiskAshur M2 hammers home the point. This is one secure drive, protected by AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption, FIPS 140-3 Level 3 compliance and a dedicated secure processor that fends off physical “tamper” attacks.
Nor should this drive fall victim to accidental data loss, with IP68 protection coupled with a crush-proof design that iStorage claims will withstand the force of a 2.7-ton vehicle. That means it should withstand anything up to a large SUV, and even then you’d fancy its chances.
Despite this, it’s remarkably compact and light. Slipped inside its met metal protective case (which is what wh provides the seal against water and dust ingress), it weighs 88g while fitting comfortably in the hand. In size, think of it as a slim voi voice recorder of old. However, I suspect most people will transport the drive in the supplied carry case, which adds girth but also provides storage for the necessary USB-A and USB-C cables. No software is required, with the drive being OS-agnostic.
I tested the 2TB version, which costs £429, but the 240GB model costs a far more reasonable £149. Meanwhile, the 500GB model is £179 and the 1TB arguably hits the sweet spot at
£249 (all prices exc VAT). Don’t expect blistering speed, but using AS SSD I measured sequential reads of 310MB/sec and writes of 312MB/sec, while a realworld test (4,329 files totalling 11.4GB) took 70 seconds to copy across over USB-C. That compares to 47 seconds for the Samsung Portable SSD T7, which writes and reads files at 946MB/sec and 822MB/sec (the 500GB version costs £77 exc VAT).
The other time thief is waiting for the drive to recognise your PIN, which takes a couple of seconds. On first use, you should also factor in a good half an hour to read through the user guide so that you can figure out how to configure user PINs versus the admin PIN, whether you want to adjust the timeout before the drive locks and essentially get your head around how everything works.
This could be a hurdle for novice users, so if you’re an IT manager then we advise you roll this out with your own handy Q&A. However, if you’re serious about data protection, there’s no doubt that the DiskAshur M2 ticks every box.
SPECIFICATIONS
USB 3.2 (up to 5Mbits/sec) FIPS 140-3 Level 3 accreditation (pending) AES-XTS 256-bit full-disk hardware encryption IP68 certified USB-A and USB-C cables protective sleeve protective carry case 45 x 12 x 111mm (WDH, without sleeve) 65g without sleeve, 88g with sleeve 3yr warranty