Secure your data like James Bond with the Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80

If you’re carrying unencrypted data around with you, then you should stop doing that. The consequences of losing data can range from embarrassing to damaging to potentially opening up your company to legal headaches.

But encrypting data on external drives used to be a pain. You had to run an application and sometimes that wouldn’t work on certain platforms, and it all would quickly turn into a big hassle.

But those days are over. A drive like the new Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 SSD makes encrypting your data super easy.

The SSD looks like any regular SSD, expect it has a screen. Actually, it’s a touchscreen, and you use this to input your passcode and also change the settings in the drive.

It really makes using the drive a snap. In fact, this is one of the easiest to use encrypted SSDs I’ve ever used. The setup took seconds — basically inputting my secret passcode — and it was ready for data.

• XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encryption
• FIPS 197 certified
• Unique intuitive touchscreen
• Multi-password (admin/user) option with PIN and Passphrase modes
• Configurable password rules
• Dual read-only (write protected) modes for malware protection

The drive is powered using USB, so there’s no battery to charge up or wear out, and it comes with a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable (and a nice neoprene carry case).

Data on the drive is protected using XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encryption, and the drive is certified FIPS 197. It offers built-in protection against attacks such as BadUSB, as well as brute force attacks.

Speeds for the drive are rated at around 250MB/s and I was able to get close to 230MB/s in testing.

The drive is packed with some really nice features, such as a randomized on-screen keyboard (so finger smudges don’t give away your passcode), a read-only mode to prevent data (or malware) being written to the drive, and automatic timeout.

The drive also features a cool admin mode to set up security options, such as configuring password requirements by setting the maximum number of shared attempts, minimum password length of 6-64 characters, as well as alphanumeric password rules. The drive also allows you to use the “space” character, making it easier to use a memorable quote or lyrics from a favorite song as your passcode.

I can’t fault the Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80. It’s an excellent way to secure your data when out and about.

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 is offered in 480GB, 960GB, and 1920GB.