Over 100.000 SafeStick drives from BlockMaster bolsters NHS security
LONDON, UK, 21th April 2009, - BlockMaster, a provider of secure removable data devices, today announces a two-year exclusive contract to distribute over 100,000 SafeSticks to NHS hospitals across the UK. The SafeSticks will provide complete security for all removable storage through military grade hardware encryption, and will be distributed through seven public sector procurement hubs.
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust is one of over 100 UK hospitals using SafeSticks to protect portable data. It also installed BlockMaster’s management suite, SafeConsole, to monitor activity on USB sticks six months ago. Other hospitals using the SafeSticks include the George Elliot NHS Hospital Trust in Warwickshire and the Aintree University Hospital NHS Trust.
The SafeSticks which have been installed by Softek, a leading IT Security, Storage and Archiving Solutions distributor, will provide the NHS with complete protection through mandatory password protection and automatic hardware encryption and timer Lockdown functionality which locks SafeStick if there is no user activity for a configurable period of time, preventing data loss if they are lost or stolen. SafeConsole will provide users with full control, remote life-cycle management and device enhancement, with features including remote password recovery, customised password policy, audit for compliance, portable authentication tokens and productivity tools.
Robert Howorth, Senior Technical Architect at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust, comments: “We were faced with the constant challenge of keeping our data safe, but also ensuring staff can work remotely to increase efficiencies. The security of patient data is of paramount importance to us, so we needed a device that could provide complete protection against theft or loss. We also wanted the peace of mind that devices could be centrally managed, locking down and wiping data should a device become compromised. We have been delighted with SafeConsole and SafeSticks so far as they are simple to use, which increases adoption and provides reassurance that data is protected no matter where it is.”
Daniel Östner, CEO at BlockMaster comments: “The number of unsecure USB sticks lost each year is a problem we cannot sweep under the carpet. We need to be proactive with USB security and not wait for a breach to happen until we think about it.
“It’s fantastic news to see that the NHS is leading the way with USB security. The introduction of best-practice and diligence by organisations will protect sensitive data on portable devices and prevent embarrassing, as well as costly data breaches.”
Mike Bienvenu, Technical Director, Softek concludes, “Critical data loss is on every IT Director’s mind, and with a frightening 66 per cent of all USB sticks being lost or stolen, data stored on memory sticks simply has to be encrypted - the challenge has been achieving this quickly and easily without employee re-training or disruption.”
BlockMaster and Softek are continuing the roll-out of SafeSticks at more NHS hospitals, local government departments, Education establishments and corporates. In addition to this BlockMaster is adding new features to SafeStick and SafeConsole, which will be announced at InfoSecurity Europe 2009.
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About BlockMaster
Since the first release of SafeStick® in early 2004, BlockMaster has the longest successful track record of delivering secure USB Flash Drives in the world.
BlockMaster delivers full management capability for the administrator and a world-class user acceptance experience for the end-user. From rollouts at Fortune Global 2000 customers we know that the implementation of SafeStick® and its systems is swift, cost-efficient and easy on the end-user.
BlockMaster is headed out of Lund, Sweden with additional offices in Stockholm.
SafeStick® is a registered BlockMaster brand. http://www.GetSafeStick.com/
About The West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust
The West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust came into being on April 1st, 1993. It serves an area of approximately 600 square miles which extends to Thetford in the north, Sudbury in the south, Newmarket to the west and Stowmarket to the east. This encompasses a population of approximately 275,000.
The West Suffolk Hospital itself was founded in 1832, moving to its new site in Hardwick Lane in 1973. It was the first of a new design of hospitals to be known as “Best Buy” hospitals. This was the first standard design to combine a compact and economical hospital to meet modern purposes. http://www.wsh.nhs.uk/
About Softek Ltd
Softek is a UK value add distributor (VAD) for IT Security, Archiving and Storage solutions and services.
Softek’s vast technical expertise, and customer service in the field of IT Security is legendary, providing a full range of training and support services to Reseller Partners comprising of ASP/MSP’s, VAR’s, Consultants and System Integrators.
Since inception in 1994, Softek has advocated a comprehensive approach to information security. http://www.softek.co.uk
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