Maryland Hospital Uses Secure USB Flash Drives, Software To Protect Confidential Data

  • Jul 17, 2008

SanDisk Corp. recently announced that Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland, has selected SanDisk’s Cruzer Enterprise secure USB flash drives and Central Management & Control (CMC) server software to protect highly confidential medical and organizational data.

Part of the Johns Hopkins Medicine health care system, which includes the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Howard County General Hospital (HCGH) is a comprehensive medical center providing services to more than 165,000 people a year, with a staff of 1,700 full-time and part-time employees, as well as more than 800 physicians and other allied health professionals.

HCGH recently purchased SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise drives to provide on request to managers in all departments of the hospital, and subsequently purchased SanDisk CMC software to manage those drives through the hospital’s network.

“Few types of information are more confidential than patient records, making data security a top priority in health care,” said Rick Edwards, senior director and CIO for HCGH. “We selected the SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise drive because security is not an option -- all files are encrypted and password protected. We added SanDisk CMC software so our IT staff can have more control over data stored on USB flash drives, as well as the ability to remotely supervise day-to-day tasks such as password management and backup.”

“We are honored that Howard County General Hospital, a leader in adopting new health care IT solutions, is turning to SanDisk to help make data in use more secure,” said Roy Ramati, vice president and general manager of the Enterprise Division at SanDisk. “Looking beyond security, we believe HCGH will appreciate how CMC can increase the IT staff’s visibility into how the drives are used.”

SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise flash drives protect all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES encryption. Users are also required to create a complex password during the set-up process. The combination of encryption and password protection makes it extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access data if the drive is lost or stolen. Cruzer Enterprise is also fast, with read speed of 24 MB per second and write speed of 20 MBps.

SanDisk CMC software provides lifecycle management for Cruzer Enterprise drives, including password recovery and renewal through the network, remote termination of lost drives, central back-up and restore, and central usage tracking. This means data is not lost when a drive is lost, and IT administrators can provision a replacement flash drive with user files stored on the network.

Featured

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.