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Transporting Files Securely during Tax Season

It’s important during tax season to keep client files secure, but with all the long hours, it’s also important to go home and get some rest.

That’s why it’s a good idea to have a way to transport important files while making sure the information in the files is protected securely in case the drive somehow gets lost or stolen. I tested out a new secure USB keychain-style thumb drive from storage provider Apricorn called the Aegis Secure Key. The drive comes with a numbered and lettered keypad on it. You punch in a secret PIN code on the keypad and it unlocks the drive. Flashing lights on the drive tell you whether it has been successfully unlocked or not.

You can transfer your files onto it through your USB port and once you eject the drive, it’s locked and can’t be accessed unless you input the same code and unlock it. The drive comes with a default PIN code built in, but you can quickly change it to any seven- to 15-digit code.

The hardware includes 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard and Cypher Block Chaining security built in to protect the data in case the device gets lost or stolen. It works with Windows, Mac and Linux computers and costs $95 for the 8-gigabyte model or $125 for the 16GB drive. The Apricorn Aegis Secure Key can provide some peace of mind when you leave the office during tax season.

For more information, visit www.apricorn.com.

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