LSI Corporation (NASDAQ: LSI) today announced that LSI® SandForce® SF-2200 Client Flash Storage Processors (FSPs) now enable SSD manufacturers to build drives compliant with the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal specification. Compliance with the Opal specification simplifies the deployment and management of self-encrypting SSDs based on SandForce FSPs in corporate mobile computing environments by promoting interoperability with popular encryption and security management products, including those offered by Wave Systems and WinMagic, Inc.
Whether it is sensitive customer information, proprietary data or intellectual property, a company’s data is often its most valuable asset. If this data is lost, stolen or accidentally exposed, organizations run the risk of lost revenue, legal implications, and a tarnished reputation and brand. With today’s increasingly mobile workforce, the security of corporate data stored in employees’ mobile computing platforms such as laptops and Ultrabook™ systems is of critical concern for IT managers. Studies have found that 1 in 10 laptops will be stolen within the lifetime of the device, and this number has been growing at a steady rate.[1]
"Businesses around the world have strong incentives to protect sensitive data by converting notebook PCs to encrypted drives," said Jim Handy, SSD analyst for Objective Analysis. "Meanwhile a growing number of IT managers are adopting SSDs either to raise employee productivity or to extend the life of corporate laptops. By introducing Opal compliant SandForce SSD controllers, LSI is addressing both of these needs at once."
Companies are moving to SSDs in laptops to launch applications faster, reduce boot times and extend battery life. However, concerns over cost-effective data security and the complexity of deploying and managing self-encrypting drives (SEDs) are slowing even wider adoption.
LSI SandForce FSPs automatically encrypt data-at-rest on SSDs used in laptops and other corporate mobile computing platforms with the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256). Together with TCG Opal compliance, LSI SandForce FSPs simplify the deployment and management of hardware-based, self-encrypting SSDs in corporate environments while helping to make government-grade data security accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Opal compliant SandForce Driven™ member SSDs offer:
Simplified deployment and management of self-encrypting SSD solutions
Tested interoperability with popular encryption tools
AES-256 automatic encryption protection
Up to a 75 percent cost savings over software-based encryption solutions[2]
Reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) by eliminating the added expense and time required to destroy and dispose of non-encrypted drives
Enterprise-class flash performance, reliability and endurance provided through LSI DuraClass™ technology
“The growth of corporate mobile computing, coupled with the rise in data breaches and new compliance requirements, have driven companies of all sizes to strengthen their data security,” said Thad Omura, vice president of marketing, Flash Components Division, LSI. “With the addition of Opal compliance and new features for optimizing power consumption, LSI SandForce FSPs make it easier than ever to deploy new corporate mobile computing platforms without compromises in security, battery life or overall user experience.”
LSI will demonstrate Opal compliant SandForce Driven member SSDs at Computex 2013 taking place June 4-8 in Taipei, Taiwan. Product demonstrations will also showcase DevSleep technology, a new power-savings feature for SF-2200 client FSPs that enables up to a 400x reduction in SSD power consumption at idle, helping to extend battery life in Ultrabook systems using the new Intel® Haswell chipset.
DevSleep technology is critical to meeting the standby battery life duration requirement of the Microsoft Windows 8 Connected Standby feature. Systems that support Connected Standby must drain less than 5 percent of system battery capacity over a 16-hour idle period. The feature helps to achieve the lower power targets of mobile computing devices by allowing background tasks like content updates to be performed while in standby, similar to a smartphone.
LSI product demonstrations at Computex will be available in Suite 1039 at the Grand Hyatt. TCG Opal compliance for LSI SandForce FSPs is available to SSD manufacturers via a free firmware update. DevSleep low-power state technology is currently in production and is available on volume SandForce SF-2200 controllers. | 