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Experience the IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External Storage Unit with Touch Screen for Data Encryption.
Today we have a new and innovative external storage unit from Kingston designed for privacy enthusiasts. If you have data or files that you want to ensure are completely secure and inaccessible to anyone else, then the IronKey Vault Privacy 80 storage unit is made just for you. Kingston has encrypted this External SSD hardware wise, equipped with a Touch Screen display that ensures data and files can only be accessed through password entry, which you set yourself. With full encryption, your important files will be securely protected, and luckily Kingston specializes in the world of computers to allow us to try it out. Let’s dive in.
The IronKey Vault Privacy 80 comes with a unique design and casing with a front slot for cable placement. The casing design complements the IronKey’s design, and upon opening the SSD for the first time, it will prompt you to choose a language on the touch screen that supports four languages – English, French, German, and Spanish (Arabic not available). It will then ask you to set a password for the first time, after which it can be read by the computer, allowing you to add files and interact with the SSD directly.
Each time the unit is booted up, the startup process takes about 15 seconds, requiring you to enter the password. The unit performs a self-test to correct any errors, and the SSD asks whether you want to run it in read-only mode or read/write mode, all for the utmost protection and encryption of data.
The IronKey Vault Privacy 80 works on any operating system without requiring any additional software installations, supporting Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and Linux. It comes with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 C port with two cables – one for connecting the storage unit to a computer via Type-A or Type-C ports. We will test connecting the External SSD through both ports to determine the read and write speeds through each port, bearing in mind that the unit is not designed for speed but for protection, as mentioned for specific purposes.
Keep in mind that entering the password incorrectly more than 15 consecutive times will result in a reset of the SSD, deleting all data on it. Therefore, it is crucial to keep the password safe, as forgetting it means losing access to your files. The encrypted and secure nature of this external storage unit provides high-level security where forgetting the password means no access to your files in any way.
Another feature is that the typing keypad on the unit changes the positions of numbers and letters each time you use it. This ensures that anyone nearby cannot remember the keystrokes, enhancing the security of the external unit even further. Haven’t they already shown that they have secured this external unit well?
IronKey also includes settings for customization, allowing you to control screen brightness, permissible operating duration before re-entering the password, the complexity of the password (numbers only or numbers and letters, and password length), the option to add multiple passwords, and other settings to maximize security.
Read and Write Speed Test
Certainly, the primary objective of this unit is to provide the highest level of protection, so I do not expect high read and write speeds. However, I will test it to determine its speed. Since the USB-C port is not widely available on computers, I will test the unit on both the Type-C and Type-A ports using the Crystal Disk Mark software as usual.
When connecting the storage unit to the Type-A port, the read speed reached 42 MB/s and the write speed reached 29 MB/s. These numbers are not very high, but they are normal for a standard USB port that does not inherently support high speeds, making it very suitable.
When connecting the storage unit to the Type-C port, the read speed reached 241 MB/s and the write speed reached 232 MB/s. While these are good numbers, they may not be satisfactory; however, as mentioned, this unit is designed for protection rather than high data transfer speeds.
Available Capacities and Prices
The IronKey Vault Privacy 80 is available in different capacities – 480GB, 960GB, and 1920GB, with prices varying according to storage capacity. The 480GB unit is priced at $287, the 960GB unit at $351, and the 1920GB unit at $493. For more details, you can visit the official Kingston website at the following link:
Conclusion
Protecting files through hardware encryption is an idea worth exploring, as software-based protection always has vulnerabilities that can make everyone uneasy. I’m talking about individuals with sensitive data who are concerned about unauthorized access, in this case, the IronKey Vault Privacy 80 unit comes to solve this problem.
As mentioned earlier, this external storage unit is not for everyone, its speed is not high, and if you forget the SSD password, all data will be deleted, putting your data at risk. However, its concept is based on protecting data from unauthorized access, which may be crucial for some individuals. Nevertheless, we appreciate this new technology from Kingston.
