INTRODUCTION

   Data safety has always been a serious issue for industry professionals but recently it seems that even "regular" consumers have sensitive material which they don't want falling to the wrong hands. This is also why nowadays most portable media (primarily 2.5" hard disk drives and solid state drives) come bundled with their very own encryption software and although these happen to work quite well (at least for the most part) they are limited by their computer only support (whether that's a PC or a MAC). Of course to the majority of people this is not a problem since they use computers for that but there are always those who want to be able to access their sensitive files from other type of devices (these include smartphones, tablets, printers, media players, projectors and TV screens). IStorage and their PIN authenticated products are ideal for all-around use and after testing their unique diskAshur 2 1TB PHD today with us we have yet another unique product the datAshur PRO 64GB Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive.

   iStorage is the trusted global leader of award winning PIN authenticated, hardware encrypted data storage devices. Delivering the most innovative products to securely store and protect data to military specified encryption levels; safeguarding valuable business information whilst ensuring compliance to regulations and directives.

   Just like the diskAshur 2 the datAshur PRO (currently available in 8/16/32/64GB capacities) is secured with real-time military grade FIPS PUB 197 validated AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption (FIPS 140-2 Level 3, NLNCSA DEP-V and NATO restricted level certified) via PIN authentication (7-15 digits in length / supports independent Admin and User PINs). The datAshur PRO also features an IP57 certified (dust and water proof up to 1 meter) aluminum enclosure, built-in 3.7v lithium-polymer rechargeable battery, tamper-proof coating placed on its internal components, epoxy coated (water resistant) alphanumeric keypad, auto-lock (can be set to lock after a predetermined amount of time) and a Brute Force Hack Defense Mechanism which basically deletes both the PIN and all data stored in the drive after a total of 10 consecutive incorrect PIN entries. IStorage also allows you to personalize the datAshur PRO by laser etching your name, logo and/or message on the aluminum cover (top/side), provides a free license for their very own DriveSecurity software powered by ESET (NOD32) and covers the entire datAshur PRO family of secure USB 3.0 flash drives with a 3 year warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The datAshur PRO 64GB arrived inside a clear plastic blister package that has the main product features, capacity and the company logo at the front.

At the rear iStorage has printed all the product features and also describes the steps one needs to take to operate the drive.

Inside the blister package you will find the datAshur PRO 64GB and its aluminum cover and a quick start guide.

THE DATASHUR PRO 64GB

The just 25g heavy datAshur PRO measures 80mm in length, 20mm in width and 10.5mm in thickness.

As usual to have a better idea about the size of the drive at hand we placed it right next to several others from the ones we've tested to date.

On the base of the drive (and on the side) iStorage can lase etch your name, logo and/or message.

Removing the aluminum cover reveals the epoxy coated alphanumeric keypad with the lock/unlock key and the three activity LEDs (locked/unlocked/standby).

On the other side we find the barcode, serial number, company URL, drive capacity and the included power source details.

The company logo is also printed at the rear as seen above.

Leaving out the metal wire iStorage has used as a lanyard the two rubber rings seen here make sure that no water and/or dust can enter the interior once the cover is mounted.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Since flash drives are basically plain storage media devices just like solid state drives and hard disk drives we are using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record the achieved performance numbers. 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 - some drives can't be tested for write performance), 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 14th of September 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 testing them all again and again would simply not be possible).

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

CONCLUSION

   Having reviewed the diskAshur 2 we knew exactly what to expect from the datAshur Pro in terms of security so as iStorage points out you can’t brute force your way into the drive using a PC or a MAC since it’s not even visible as a device until the moment you press the PIN. Of course you will have to change the stock PIN from 11223344 to your very own 7-15 digit one (in order to change the PIN the drive must not be connected to a device – thanks to its lithium ion battery it can work on its own) the moment you get the drive by following the instructions in the quick start manual and you’re good to go. The aluminum housing is not only very sturdy (the metal wire lanyard allows you to pull the drive from the aluminum cover) and indeed waterproof (we tested it up to roughly 1 meter) but it can also be customized with your own name, logo or message (unfortunately unlike their diskAshur 2 line the datAshur Pro is only available in blue color). Not all is perfect however so during testing we did have some slight issues with the responsiveness of the epoxy coated alphanumeric keypad since on one hand it’s not easy to press the PIN when the drive is mounted on a rear USB port (you can get an USB extension cable to solve that) and on the other it didn’t record all of our keypresses (as a result we had to press the PIN more than once sometimes). This isn’t a serious issue and most likely has to do with the how you press the keys (too small after all) but just like always we report on all our findings. As for performance it may not be up there with some of the top USB drives we’ve tested to date but unlike what iStorage states in the specifications sheet (139MB/s read and 43MB/s write) we did manage to hit 171MB/s - 119MB/s in read and write performance using ATTO and 169MB/s – 117MB/s in read and write using Crystal Disk Mark so this is quite a fast USB 3.0 drive especially if you take into account its hardware encryption.

   As I type these lines the datAshur Pro 64GB Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive by iStorage retails for USD145 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 145Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) so although not exactly “low cost” we think it’s priced very well for all the extra security it offers compared to regular USB flash drives (and even software encrypted ones). Unfortunately if you happen to like the datAshur Pro but you need even more space for your sensitive data you’re out of luck (for now at least) since 64GB is the highest capacity model sold by iStorage currently (something which we hope changes sooner rather than later). All said and done however the datAshur Pro 64GB Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive is yet another quality product aimed at very demanding professionals and consumers alike and thanks to all its features and good performance levels it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (IP57 Certified Aluminum Enclosure)
- PIN Authentication
- Security Measures (AES-XTS 256-bit Hardware Encryption/ FIPS 140-2 Level 3, NLNCSA DEP-V and NATO Restricted Level Certified)
- Good Performance
- Available in 8/16/32/64GB
- Laser Etching Service
- DriveSecurity Software
- 3 Year Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- PIN Not Always Easy To Enter
- Max Available Capacity (64GB)