SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is first secure USB drive fully compatible with Mac OS X

SanDisk Corporation today announced that the SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is the first secure USB flash drive to fully support Apple Mac OS X computers. Available now, SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise helps IT professionals more effectively protect information on company-issued secure USB drives in Macintosh environments.

SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is designed to meet the unique USB security, compliance and manageability needs of today's enterprises by imposing a hardware-based USB encryption solution that puts mandatory access control on all files as protection against theft or loss of the drive. By supporting Macintosh and Microsoft Windows environments, IT professionals can more effectively use SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise to protect information on company-issued secure USB flash drives across their organizations.

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"SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is ideal for the millions of business users who use Macs at home or in the office," said Yariv Fishman, senior manager, product marketing management, enterprise division, SanDisk. "It combines a simple, user-friendly interface with the addition of SanDisk's tough security and ultra-fast transfer speeds. It's the first secure USB flash drive that provides full Mac support by allowing initialization of the drive directly on a Mac platform."

Cruzer Enterprise in Mac OS X and Windows PC environments has the same features and data security- even if used in both environments. The device can be initialized from either a Macintosh or Windows computer, where users can:

• Log in and shut down access to the encrypted storage area
• Change and manage passwords
• Change contact information, language and other preferences
• Launch online support, view current firmware and drive information

Available in 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-gigabyte (GB) configurations, Cruzer Enterprise supports Apple Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" and Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard." Cruzer Enterprise safeguards all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES USB encryption, which combined with advanced password protection makes it extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access data if the drive is lost or stolen. Existing Cruzer Enterprise users may download a firmware update at http://www.sandisk-enterprise.com/macupdater.

SanDisk is a leader in providing innovative, secure USB flash drives and management solutions for the mobile workforce in enterprises and government agencies. SanDisk's enterprise solutions allow IT managers to extend the enterprise security perimeter to mobile storage and boost employees' productivity.

Finally the little nuts at work can stop complaining about having to use a VM session to use a memory stick on their Apple. First to brag about how awesome their laptops are, and first to blame something OTHER than their OS when they can't use something as simple as an encrypted stick.

I personally create a 256-bit AES encrypted sparse disk image limited to the max size of the flash drive for my secure files. It beats the hefty price tag (relative to the size of the chip) of this device

NOT the first.. there have been plenty of others with the same Mac compatibility and a stronger encryption. And I agree for the typical 'consumer user' there is little point.. but for the 'Enterprise' user this is a necessity with all of the regulations out there such as SOX, GLB, OMB M-06-16..