About a year ago, Trusted Computing Group released the Opal Security Subsystem Class Specification for PC clients and the Enterprise Security Subsystem Class Specification for data center storage. These specifications provide a blueprint for hard disk drives, solid state drives and other storage devices that enable stronger data protection, help organizations comply with increasingly tough regulations and help protect important information from loss and theft.
Self-encrypting drives encrypt data on the fly in hardware, transparent to the user and system. If drives are lost or stolen, data is unavailable except to the authorized user. Drives can be very quickly and completely erased, making re-use or disposal efficient and safe.
Now, we are beginning to see real market momentum around these specifications. A number of vendors have developed products that support these specifications and are beginning to be deployed.
Products that support the TCG Opal SSC (Security Subsystem Class) used primarily in client (notebook and desktop) applications include:
Software to manage drives includes:
Embassy Trusted Drive Manager – http://www.wave.com/products/eras.asp
http://www.wave.com/products/tdm.asp
Solutions page for self encrypting drives – http://www.winmagic.com/solutions/self-encrypting-hard-drives
SecureDoc FDE – http://www.winmagic.com/products/full-disk-encryption
SecureDoc for Mac – http://www.winmagic.com/products/full-disk-encryption-for-mac
SecureDoc Enterprise Server – http://www.winmagic.com/products/enterprise-server-encryption
On the enterprise/data center side, products are starting to emerge that support the TCG Storage Work Group’s Enterprise SSC (Security Subsystem Class). These include:
Seagate Secure: Drives get around. Data shouldn’t, http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=dn_sec_landing vgnextoid=82cbe6f068d2d010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD
Products:
Seagate Enterprise SED drives:
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/self-encrypting-drives/
Seagate Laptop SED drives:
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/momentus/momentus_7200_fde
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/momentus/momentus_5400_fde/
On the PC side, vendors such as Dell are making the Opal drives available in their business PCs.
Membership in the Trusted Computing Group is your key to participating with fellow industry stakeholders in the quest to develop and promote trusted computing technologies.
Standards-based Trusted Computing technologies developed by TCG members now are deployed in enterprise systems, storage systems, networks, embedded systems, and mobile devices and can help secure cloud computing and virtualized systems.
Trusted Computing Group announced that its TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) Library Specification was approved as a formal international standard under ISO/IEC (the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission). TCG has 90+ specifications and guidance documents to help build a trusted computing environment.