Product Reviews

Data backup is an essential routine for any computer user, but the security of data once it's on an external device is often overlooked. The Ioraid range of hard drives offers both storage and security, with built-in hardware encryption and security ranging from 40-bit right up to 192-bit.

At first glance, the Ioraid drives look similar to other external hard drives - in fact, the only difference between these and any other drive is the extra FireWire 400 port. This houses a data-encryption key, which is standard across the range of Ioraid products and is used to decrypt the complex protection system. A heavy-duty metal case surrounds the drives, which is very reassuring.

We tested two drives, the first of which was the mobile encrypted HDD. The portable drives are only available at 40-bit encryption, but the higher-protection drives are due soon. The FireWire 800 and USB 2 drive we looked at managed a respectable 35.5MB/sec in our speed test, which was faster than any of the pocket drives in our recent hard drive Labs. The unit can be bus powered via the FireWire ports, but you'll need the supplied power adaptor to use the unit over USB 2.

The desktop 160GB

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version follows a similar design to the portable Ioraid, with only minor cosmetic differences. Disk speed was fair: the 30.8MB/sec copy speed is similar to other drives of this size. The rear houses two FireWire 400 and a single encryption port, USB 2 connection and power switch. Like the portable versions, higher levels of encryption are to follow, but the 40-bit versions are available in 160GB, 200GB and 250GB with either FireWire 400 or 800. Both versions sport USB 2 connectors.

Securing the drives is simple: connect the cables to your Mac, insert the provided key and format the drive to your specification. If you remove the key, the drive remains mounted and usable. However, once the drive is ejected, it can't be re-mounted without the key being inserted. There's no need for driver software or passwords you might forget: the fob protects the data. If the drive is stolen, the hard drive can be removed from the casing, but none of the data can be read.

The 160GB drive we tested cost £151, which is £30 more than the same sized, similarly constructed LaCie D2 model. The portable 40GB drive is just over £160 but for £10 more you could have a regular 80GB pocket drive, albeit without FireWire 800 or USB 2. The price differential might be too much for some, but it does get you a well-built drive that's also fast.

Buying one of these hard drives is more a question of worth than value. As standard hard drives, they're too expensive to recommend, even with the excellent build quality. However, if your data is priceless and it would be your worst nightmare for the competition to get their hands on it, or if you need employees to move data inside the company, but can't risk it being read off-site, then the Ioraid system is most certainly for you.