Secure USB desktop environment for the enterprise
Imation announced the general availability of its ultra-secure StealthZONE PC-on-a-stick desktop environment to enterprise customers.
Already used by national governments and intelligence agencies due to its ability to provide a Secure USB Desktop on a pocket-sized high-security device, StealthZONE will support firms requiring a fully managed, secure work environment on any computer.
A survey covering 17 countries by business technology company Avanade found that employees in 88% of organizations were using their own personal computing technologies for business purposes.
Furthermore, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Imation found that while 91% of companies allow removable storage devices on their networks, only 34% enforce encryption policies.
Separate Imation research has shown that 82% of IT professionals are concerned or very concerned about the effect of the use of personal devices on IT security.
As a result some 36% of organizations do not allow the use of personal devices, meaning that organizations’ concerns around security are preventing them from unlocking major benefits attached to BYOD schemes.
Imation’s StealthZONE devices solve the BYOD conundrum by providing a secure, consistent work environment on any USB-capable end point. This means that the choice of host machine is unimportant, and can be left up to the employee with none of the usual concerns around security, feasibility or licensing.
The user plugs a managed, secure StealthZONE USB device into their home computer, laptop or almost any unsecured Windows PC, and boots Windows from the USB device. After up to three-factor authentication, the user gains access to a fully isolated Microsoft Windows workspace.
Since computing occurs solely within the trusted environment of the device, applications and data are kept separate from the unsecured PC’s hardware and are therefore protected from threats. When the StealthZONE device is removed from the host PC, it leaves no trace behind.