Accountants need to make sure their clients' files are secure and stored away so they are not vulnerable to identity theft.
Apricorn has a new secure external hard drive that is part of its Aegis line, the Aegis Padlock DT. Unlike some of the earlier models, this one is designed for desktop use and is somewhat heavy, so you probably wouldn't carry it home at the end of the day. On the other hand, that also makes it less vulnerable to theft, and it can be locked away in a desk drawer in your office.
The device features an alphanumeric keypad on the top on which you set up a pass code. It took me a few tries and different pass codes to get one to work, and in between I had to reset the drive. Unfortunately that meant I had wiped out some crucial software on the drive and I had to talk with Apricon's excellent tech support reps to get the drive reformatted. It connects to the USB slot on your computer and works with either USB 2.0 or 3.0.
Once I had it working, it did a fine job. I was able to copy files easily from my computer hard drive to the Aegis Padlock DT and feel like they were well protected. The Aegis Padlock DT comes with 256-bit XTS AES encryption to safeguard files. It's available in different capacities of 2, 3, 4 and 6 terabytes.
The unit periodically shuts off after it isn't in use for a period of time, which you can set for 5, 10 or 20 minutes. By default, the autolock feature is supposed to be off, but it seemed to be on by default with the drive I tested.
All in all, the drive provides good protection for files and helps keep them secure. For more information, visit
