SafeNet offers government agencies free hard-drive encryption software

Here is an example of what business people call a loss leader. Belcamp, Maryland-based IT security behemoth SafeNet (NASDAQ: SFNT) announced today that it was offering free copies of its hard drive encryption software, ProtectDrive, to all U.S. government agencies between now and the government’s fiscal year ending 30 September. The company said it was making the offer to help agencies comply with the directive M-06-16 of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a mandate which requires that agencies use encryption protection for sensitive data on laptops and workstations.

ProtectDrive encrypts the entire hard drive of a laptop, workstation, or server, to protect against unauthorized people gaining access to sensitive information in case of theft or accidental loss of the hard drive. Pre-boot authentication prevents unauthorized users from circumventing the operating system to access the information. The software is already deployed in enterprises and governments around the world. Note that ProtectDrive also integrates with the popular SafeNet iKey and SmartCard authentication tokens, and that it also integrates with authentication tokens provided by other major vendors.

read more in this news release

OMB Directive M-06-16

OMB Directive M-06-16, issued 23 June 2006, requires that all government agencies deploy certain security technologies related to protecting mobile devices, such as laptops. The agency set 7 August 2006 as the date for government agencies to demonstrate compliance with the directive. Specifically, compliance with the directive required the following technology deployments:

—Encrypt all data on mobile computers/devices which carry sensitive agency data

—Restrict remote access to two-factor authentication where one of the factors is provided by a device separate from the computer gaining access

—Encrypt remote access to the network