Review: iStorage diskGenie
Don Bradbury takes a look at a password protected, hardware encrypted portable disk drive from iStorage
| Product | diskGenie |
|---|---|
| Company | iStorage |
| Web | www.istorage-uk.com |
| Price | 250GB - £113.85 |
| We like | Password protection via integral keypad; 256bit AES encryption in hardware; omni-point shock protection |
| We don't like | Don't forget the password or there's no way to access the drive. |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements |
Portable disk drives abound these days, and their cost has tumbled to suit their popularity, but one problem has always been that of data security. The loss of huge amounts of data, much of it related to personal databases obtained by various government departments, has lead to much unrest among the populace.
What was needed was an encrypted drive so that the thief could not read the contents. That copy of the data would be lost, it's true, but at least it was 'safely' lost, and a new copy could normally be extracted from the original. Add password access as a second layer of security and the job would be complete.
So from iStorage we now have this hardware encrypted series of drives - that's to say that no software installation is required - and access to the drive is via the device's custom password itself. Once installed with your private data, diskGenie provides AES 256 bit real time encryption in the hardware, so that even if the disk itself is removed from the case it cannot be accessed.
The drive comes preformatted NTFS, though there are instructions on how to reformat it for operation on a Mac on Linux machine. The default PIN allows you to access the drive under Windows from version XP onwards, or Mac or Linux computers as described. A routine is given for changing that default PIN to one of your own preference, with 6-16 digits. The multi-purpose, front-mounted LED displays progress via a series of colour codes. After that, you just plug the drive into a powered USB port, enter your new PIN, and press the Lock button to engage the green version of the LED, and then use the drive in any normal manner.
Further, a series of up to ten passkeys can be set up and administered, and that should satisfy the majority of corporate environments.
As well as a short integral USB cable that tucks away nicely into the drive's case, the device comes with a dual USB cable, so that in the event that your powered port isn't powered sufficiently, you can tap an adjacent USB port to supply the extra current. Incidentally, that dual cable can also be used as a USB extension in the event that the very short 4" built-in lead isn't long enough, perhaps if your USB ports are all around the back of the system box. You then have about 20" of cable altogether. Complete with a neat little fabric pocket case, the diskGenie is ready to slip into a pocket and take on the road.
With a buffer size of 8MB, the 12ms average seek time, 5400 rpm drive proved to be as capable in terms of performance as any portable drive we've seen. A group of AVI files were copied from our system drive to the diskGenie at 25.0MB/sec, though only after setting it's properties to 'set for performance' in Device Manager. It was 58% slower than that if we left the drive at the Windows default 'quick removal' setting. The penalty of using the performance option, which lets the drive make use of disk caching, is that you should use the safely remove facility in Windows before disengaging the drive from the computer.
In conclusion
With its integrated USB cable conveniently bundled, that's all that was required for immediate access (after initial setup) via its password keypad. Together with it's 16-point shock mounting that protected this rather swish matt black simulated-fabric finished drive from all but the most serious of misuse, and a three year warranty to ensure a decent life, the iStorage diskGenie is to be recommended to all who require a safe haven for their precious data files. There's a substantial price premium to pay for all this, to be sure, in comparison with unprotected drives of an otherwise similar spec, but those with relevant needs might consider an appropriately sized diskGenie a good buy. Let's hope that government departments in particular, with a proclivity for losing our personal data, find an interest in it.
The Iomega 320GB eGo ENCRYPT external USB 2.0 drive we found more capacious while being less expensive, though its protection software didn't work correctly when we reviewed it earlier. It, too, would be worth considering, provided Iomega have their act together by now.
