INTRODUCTION

   At the time of this review hardware authenticated portable drives may not be many in number but we see more and more get introduced in the market each year so consumers with high demands when it comes to data security/safety actually have quite a few models to choose from. Now if you've been following our reviews then you should know that there are two types currently of hardware encrypted portable drives based on either PIN or Bluetooth user authentication. On one hand PIN authenticated models are much easier and quicker to use but require entering a password every time while on the other Bluetooth models although slightly harder to use don't require the user to remember a password so both types have their very own target audiences. SECUREDATA already send us their Bluetooth authenticated SECUREDRIVE BT USB 3.0 portable SSD a while back so today we'll be testing their PIN model and more specifically the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB USB 3.0 Portable SSD.

   SECUREDATA, Inc. is a privately held company, headquartered in California, USA. SecureData offers a range of tailored high-level data protection capabilities through a set of services and products. These include hardware encrypted portable storage devices, backup solutions, file repair software, data recovery, and digital forensics services to help clients achieve their security objectives. SecureData has a presence through its partners in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia, and South America, and serves companies and organizations in regulated industries, such as government, financial services, military, law enforcement, legal, healthcare, and education. More information regarding the SECUREDATA products line can be found at securedrive.com.

   The SECUREDRIVE KP line of PIN authenticated drives currently includes portable HDDs (currently available in 1/2/5TB capacities), portable SSDs (currently available in 250GB/500GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB capacities) and USB flash drives (currently available in 4/8/16/32/64/128GB capacities). Although this time over we see rubber keys just like with similar models by the competition the keypad of the SECUREDRIVE KP drive features a special wear-resistant coating which also prevents other people from finding out which keys are being used more. The SECUREDRIVE KP also features FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated AES-XTS 256-bit full drive hardware encryption (GDPR compliant), brute-force anti-hacking protection via dedicated microprocessor (all data is erased after the wrong password is entered a total of 10 times), interior covered in tough epoxy resin (makes it nearly impossible to recover components) and inactivity autolock for further increased data security (can be preset between 1 and 60 minutes). Finally, SECUREDATA covers the entire SECUREDRIVE KP line with a 2 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD inside a clear plastic box from where you can see the drive itself (system compatibility, authentication mode and drive capacity are also placed at the front of the box).

A small drawing placed at the lower end of the left side showcases device compatibility while a 2D barcode is placed on the lower end of the right side.

The main product features along with the contents of the bundle are located at the rear of the box.

Along with the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD you'll also receive a USB cable (both ends are covered with rubber caps) and the quick start guide.

THE SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD

Measuring 127mm in length, 77mm in width and 12.5mm in thickness the 255g heavy SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD is certainly not the most compact portable SSD in the market today.

To showcase the size of its aluminum enclosure we placed the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD right next to the diskAshur2 1TB SSD, SECUREDRIVE BT 2TB SSD and the diskAshur PRO2 512GB SSD.

SECUREDATA has used rubber keys for the keypad which are softer compared to what the competition uses.

Three small activity LEDs are located at the top of the drive (red for when the drive is locked and green when unlocked).

Moving at the rear we find the USB 3.0 host port (unfortunately not USB type-C since this is not a USB 3.1 model).

SECUREDATA has placed their logo at the front of the aluminum/plastic enclosure.

A large sticker placed at the base of the drive showcases the three easy steps required to unlock it.

SECUREDATA has used the 860 EVO SSD inside the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD.

Worth mentioning is that SECUREDATA also makes RFID protection cards for your wallets (they were kind enough to send some for us).

Included in the drive are the ESET DriveSecurity AV and a USB to CLOUD backup software (for Windows).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Solid state drives are basically the same as USB flash drives and so we’re using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record achieved read & write performance numbers in our charts*. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Pro (Read / Write speeds), AIDA 64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear Read / Random Read speeds), Crystal Disk Mark x64 (100MB-1000MB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

   All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro installation on a HyperX Predator 480GB PCIe SSD with all updates installed up to the 19th of December 2018. As always for comparison purposes in the charts you will also find many other flash drivers which have been tested using the same exact test bench as the one in this review (we really can't keep every flash drive we get forever and also even if we could test them all again and again would simply not be possible).

* Since November 2018 we started new charts only for portable solid state drives.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

CONCLUSION

   The SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB Portable SSD may not be “unique” like its Bluetooth enabled brother the SECUREDRIVE BT (review here) but it’s easier/faster to use and for us that matters quite a bit. On top of that both the KP and BT models use the same thin aluminum enclosure which measures just 12.5mm in thickness so both are very easy to carry around. In terms of performance the 860 EVO 1TB SSD by Samsung proved to be just a tad slower compared to the Crucial MX500 2TB model found in the BT 2TB version but is probably due to the difference in capacity. As for build quality and safety features the SECUREDRIVE KP has nothing to fear not only from its Bluetooth enabled brother but also from its immediate competition (again we’re not hackers but we did test several features including the brute-force attack protection (and the automatic deletion of the drive’s contents) and inactivity autolock.

   With a current price tag set at USD459.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB SSD model may not be what we’d call affordable but considering that its target audience is rather special price shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, just like with the Bluetooth model the Keypad model is also a no show in the EU so we can only hope that SECUREDATA eventually takes steps to resolve that. All said and done the SECUREDRIVE KP 1TB Portable SSD by SECUREDATA delivers on literally everything that matters and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Aluminum Enclosure)
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (AES-XTS 256-bit Hardware Encryption/Crypto Chip/Interior Epoxy Layer)
- Good Performance (For A Portable SSD)
- Available In 250GB/500GB/1TB/2TB/4TB/8TB capacities
- Very Thin (Just 12.5mm)
- HDD & SSD Models
- 1 Year DriveSecurity Software License

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- 2 Year Limited Warranty (Rival Products Have More)
- Availability Outside The USA