TechGadgets created an arresting visual image in my mind as they described the problem being solved by Seagate’s new self-encrypting enterprise drives:

“There isn’t an organization, large or small, that does not face the threat of data spilling or leaking.”

Think Exxon Valdez.  The loss or theft of sensitive data can sink a company or expose millions of consumers to identity theft.  A pretty functional analogy I think.

Encryption has been known to be the optimal solution for data at rest for a long time.  The challenge has been in how to deploy this advanced technology in a manageable way.

Seagate’s enterprise self-encrypting drives (SED) allow incredibly sophisticated security to be implemented in servers and storage systems by the simple replacement of two components: SED disk drives and SED-friendly controllers from LSI and Intel.

The drives perform exactly the same as their unsecure replacements.  There is no performance loss because the encryption takes place real-time within the drive hardware.