A Dozen Thumb Drives With Security Features

Thumb drives are convenient, cheap -- and all too easily lost, stolen, left behind or otherwise compromised... with potentially catastrophic consequences. Informationweek recently took a look at twelve drives that include security features.Check out Informationweek's USB thumb drive overview here.

And while you're at it, pay special attention to the features Ivan Schneider singles out in his roundup: authentication including passwords and biometrics, encryption features and whether or not the drive needs to run software in order to provide effective security. The piece is particularly good on the sometimes tricky balancing act between a secure thumb drive and one whose security makes it inconvenient or, in some cases, impossible to use.

If you or any of your team are using thumb drives to transport necessary data -- or, as we often warn against, just to transport "everything plus the kitchen data-sink" in order to have it if you need it -- it's past-time to move to a robust, secure thumb environment.

The overview is a good place to start.