iStorage Datashur 8GB

Leaving a USB memory key lying around is asking for trouble, but not if it comes with additional levels of security. The iStorage Datashur is a USB key with a slight difference; you need to know a PIN code to unlock it.

The supplied instructions are easy to follow, with a quick-start guide for accessing the device and changing the PIN. The device wouldn’t let us enter ‘obvious’ pins such as 1234567 or 5555555 and PINs had to be between 7 and 15 numbers long. The only way to gain access to the key if you don’t know the password is to format it, thus deleting everything from it. Furthermore, if someone enters the wrong password 10 times in a row, the device will wipe itself. Put simply, if you don’t know the PIN, then accessing the files is very hard.

By being both easy to use and very secure, the Datashur does the two most important things right. At £60 this is a very expensive product, but if you value the security of your files, it might be worth the investment.