Micron Solid-State Drive C400 SED Featuring Self Encryption

• Micron Solid-State Drive C400 SED Featuring Self Encryption

In a press release made on the 20th September 2011, Micron announced that they have now increased user security with the new Solid-State Drive Featuring Self Encryption for Laptops and Desktops. Below is the press release, followed by a review of the C400 SED :-



BOISE, Idaho, Sept. 20, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:MU), today introduced a new version of its popular RealSSD™ C400, featuring self encryption for unmatched data security. The C400 SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) is based on the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal specifications and provides a hardware-based answer for the increasing wave of data breaches that continue to impact computer users and enterprises worldwide.

Security breaches caused by malicious attacks are on the rise, according to the recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. While it's notable that the increase in small-scale external attacks doesn't rely on highly sophisticated approaches, encryption is widely credited as the first choice for the most affordable security solution for deterring such intrusions.

"Self-encrypting drives represent the future of data protection," said Dr. Joerg Borchert, 2011 president and chairman of the nonprofit Trusted Computing Group. "Hardware encryption provides the strongest security and best performance, and solid-state technology like Micron's will provide even quicker data access."

The C400 SED's encryption capabilities are delivered through a hardware-based, AES-256-bit encryption engine and advanced security firmware. Micron's firmware is designed to comply with the TCG Opal specification. TCG Opal is an open industry standard that provides a verifiable path for companies who need to prove they're compliant with tough data security regulations when devices or drives are lost or stolen.

Like all hardware-encryption, the drive works in conjunction with an encryption management system. Micron's C400 SED solution was built in partnership with leading encryption management provider Wave Systems (Nasdaq:WAVX). Wave's EMBASSY® management software provides policy-based access controls, comprehensive reporting, directory services integration and end-user access recovery that allows IT to cost-effectively implement and administer endpoint encryption. Importantly, Wave's management software gives IT confidence that data is protected in the event that a computer—or the drive itself—is lost or stolen.

"Micron is a true innovator in the field of flash-based storage devices and we applaud their decision to incorporate Opal-based encryption on their new C400 drives," said Steven Sprague, CEO and President of Wave Systems. "By incorporating self-encryption in the C400 SED, Micron provides not only outstanding performance, but also the peace of mind that confidential information stored on a laptop is secure. Wave is excited about this new partnership with Micron and we look forward to providing our customers with a high performance SSD with strong data protection capabilities."

The security and reliability of Micron's C400 SED was designed for large corporations, government systems and other multiple-user networks that require maximum security without cumbersome workflow interruptions or decreased performance.

The C400's encryption key is protected within drive hardware—separate from the host. This is one reason why hardware-based encryption is superior to software encryption (an alternative solution that stores the encryption key in the computer's memory, where it's vulnerable to attack). Micron's SED offers stronger security because the encryption key never leaves the drive. User authentication is performed by the drive prior to starting the operating system, ensuring independence from the operating system. Another disadvantage of software-based encryption is its dependence on the computer's processor, which can degrade performance. In contrast, Micron's C400 SED performs all encryption inside the SSD's controller, ensuring no system performance degradation.

"The C400 SED will help users and IT teams alike to sleep better at night. We've leveraged our popular client SSD and partnered with the leading encryption management vendor to create a product that provides a solid defense against data theft," said Justin Sykes, Micron's general manager of client SSD solutions. "With security breaches increasing for every type of user, this solution scales without sacrificing high performance or reliability."

The C400 SED SSD is available in 128-, 256-, and 512GB capacities, a SATA 6Gb/s interface, and 2.5 and 1.8-inch form factors. The drive's sophisticated NAND management delivers sequential read and write speeds of up to 500 MB/s and 260 MB/s respectively — the same high performance as Micron's popular C400. The drive will be sampling and in production in the fourth quarter of this year and will be available through Micron's global distribution network.

RealSSD™ C400 SED Client Solid State Drives Review

Product Summary

Our RealSSD™ C400 Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) is a client-focused hard drive replacement that provides the same power, performance, and reliability as our standard C400 drive, but with the added function of secure self-encryption.

Featuring an AES-256 encryption engine coupled with powerful firmware algorithms, the C400 SED provides hardware-based data encryption—with no loss of SSD performance—in accordance with industry standards for trusted peripherals and government data-security regulations. The C400 SED is designed to work with mainstream third-party ISV management tools to provide a complete data-security system.

With data breach and theft at an all-time high, the C400 SED is an ideal solution for any application that needs easily integrated, cost-effective data protection.

• Capacity* : 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Interface : SATA 6 Gb/s; backward-compatible to SATA 3 Gb/s
• Compliance : Meets Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal specification
• Encryption : 256-bit AES hardware encryption engine coupled with TCG-compliant Micron firmware
• Sequential Read Performance : up to 500 MB/s
• Sequential Write Performance : up to 175 MB/s for 128GB, up to 260 MB/s for 256GB, 512GB
• Active Average Power Consumption** : 150mW for 128GB, 160mW for 256GB, 280mW for 512GB
• Idle Power Consumption : <85mW for 128GB, 256GB  , <100mW for 512GB
• Operating Shock : 1500 G/1.0ms
• Operating Vibration : 2–500 Hz at 3.1G
• MTBF : 1.2 million device hours
• Operating Temp : Commercial (0˚C to +70˚C)
• Form Factor : 1.8-inch: 5mm; 2.5-inch: 7mm and 9.5mm
• Weight : 1.8-inch = 45g (5mm); 2.5-inch = 73g (7mm) and 75g (9.5mm)

*Unformatted. 1GB = 1 billion bytes. Formatted capacity is less. 
**Data taken at 25°C using a 6 Gb/s SATA interface. Power measured while running MobileMark® 2007 Productivity Suite. DIPM (Device-Initiated Power Management) enabled.


C400 SED Advantages for Client Applications

• Data Security - 256-bit hardware-based self-encryption offers superior protection against data breaches, loss, and theft.
• Performance - Improves boot times and speeds application launches, delivering information on demand. While software-based encryption burdens the CPU and slows system performance, the C400 SED’s hardware-based encryption does not.
• Low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) - SEDs offer the lowest TCO‡ for encryption solutions with the best performance, lowest acquisition costs, higher user productivity, and simplest IT management/deployment. (‡Report by Trusted Computing Group, Sept. 2010)
• Rugged, Lightweight, and Low-Power - Withstands extreme shock and vibration, ensuring higher reliability in the most demanding environments, yet weighs less than HDDs, providing high-capacity storage with maximum portability. Consumes significantly less power than typical hard drives.
• Compliance - Our TCG-Opal-compliant SED, coupled with ISV management solutions, provides a verifiable path for data security.
• NAND Expertise - Leverages Micron’s proven quality and test capabilities to provide best-in-class drive reliability.

Applications

• Corporate laptops
• Financial industry
• Healthcare industry
• Government

Here are some information about the Part, Density, Size*, Voltage, Read (MAX) and Write (MAX) (in this specific order) of the products:-

• MTFDDAA128MAM-1J12 - 128GB - 5mm (1.8”) - 3.3V - 500 MB/s - 175 MB/s
• MTFDDAA256MAM-1K12 - 256GB - 5mm (1.8”) - 3.3V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s
• MTFDDAA512MAM-1K12 - 512GB - 5mm (1.8”) - 3.3V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s
• MTFDDAC128MAM-1J12 - 128GB - 9.5mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 175 MB/s
• MTFDDAC256MAM-1K12 - 256GB - 9.5mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s
• MTFDDAC512MAM-1K12 - 512GB - 9.5mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s
• MTFDDAK128MAM-1J12 - 128GB - 7mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 175 MB/s
• MTFDDAK256MAM-1K12 - 256GB - 7mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s
• MTFDDAK512MAM-1K12 - 512GB - 7mm (2.5”) - 5V - 500 MB/s - 260 MB/s

*Package height in millimeters.

Here is some information about the SSD C400 SED Part Numbering :-


Information taken from http://news.micron.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=606653 and the Micron C400 SED product page Share this post on Micron Solid-State Drive C400 SED Featuring Self Encryption