LaCie has introduced a 1TB external hard drive, which it claimed is the first to sport biometric protection for this capacity of storage.
Up to 10 fingerprints (five users with minimum two prints each) can be registered with personal and customised access privileges, such as full access to the disk (read/write) or read-only. Once a user is registered, a swipe with a finger locks and unlocks the disk. The drive also includes automatic 128-bit AES hardware encryption.
"LaCie is the undisputed innovator of biometric storage solutions, and our capacity boost to 1TB makes us the undisputed leader," said Marie Renouard, LaCie Product Manager. "The volume of confidential data within businesses grows so quickly - the demand for secure storage like the d2 SAFE is inevitable. It is ideal for guarding top secret files or intellectual property, giving complete control to anyone working with original creations over who sees projects and when."
The aluminium alloy casing includes FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 interfaces as well as a chain lock port for attaching it to a desk to prevent theft (note that the chain is sold separately). It also holds a switch for customised power management.
LaCie d2 SAFE Hard Drive 1TB will be available from the end of June for an SRP of 331 (exc VAT).
* In other news, encryption company PGP has secured $27.3 million (13.8 million) in Series C funding to finance technology development and further fund its channel expansion.
The latest round of funding added new investors Intel Capital and the D. E. Shaw Group. The company's future strategy is to extend its key management functionality, a crucial element of Enterprise Data Protection that enables companies to protect data.
"Unified key management is the next big thing in security and removes perhaps the final perceived barrier to enterprise encryption adoption. Our approach to delivering this scalable, manageable vision is a journey, not a sprint, but this funding clearly accelerates development," said Phillip Dunkelberger, president and chief executive of PGP.
