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South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service secures data with the “worlds most secure USB device”
IronKey, a manufacturer of secure and managed mobile computing solutions, has announced that it is working alongside IT Security Specialists Caretower to provide South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service with IronKey Enterprise to secure and protect data.
With IronKey Enterprise, senior officers throughout the service, as well as fire safety officers, can carry sensitive data without risking violating the UK Data Protection Act in the event a device is lost or stolen.
The IT support officer at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, commented: “The service is continually working to make South Yorkshire a safer place, so when data losses in other government agencies hit the news headlines, we took the necessary steps to ensure that all sensitive data stored on USB devices is secure and fully encrypted.”
A key factor in the service’s decision to deploy IronKey Enterprise was the fact that the service holds data for each and every building across the region, including locations with chemical and radioactive material. And to enable fire officers to coordinate response plans in the event of an incident – or when assessing the cause post incident – the officers are required to take the data with them on location.
The need for mobile data access for officers while out in the field was a key driver, but the IT security team was also keen to have control over each device. With this in mind they worked through a selection process of potential solution providers with the service’s IT security supplier Caretower.
Following demonstrations and evaluations of Caretower’s recommended solutions, the Fire and Rescue Service decided to deploy IronKey Enterprise, because it offered the assurance that even if a device was stolen, administrators can track and record that the device has not been accessed, before remotely destroying all data held on the device. In addition, senior administrators could easily manage IronKey Enterprise devices and enforce device-specific policies, including password strength, password retry limits and onboard portable applications.
The service’s deployment of IronKey Enterprise comes at a time when the Information Commissioners Office – which is responsible for enforcing the UK Data Protection Act – has been handed new powers to fine organisations up to £500,000 for a data loss or data breach. In addition to this pressure, government agencies like the service must also comply with the government’s Code of Connection (CoCo) – which allows the service to connect virtually all central government departments, the NHS, police and accredited commercial suppliers.
Colin Woodland, VP EMEA IronKey commented: “As the Information Commissioners Office is now able to fine organisations up to £500,000 for a data loss, the pressure has increased greatly on IT departments to find a way of protecting data while allowing employees to carry out their work without any restrictions. And from day one, the goal for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and IronKey partner Caretower has been to deliver a solution which sets a benchmark for data security alongside an easy to use solution.”
