Kingston Digital Expands Flash Storage Portfolio with IronKey Acquisition

IronKey, which provides encrypted USB flash drives for security and privacy-intensive applications, has a new owner, Kingston Digital. The company says the acquisition gives it a more comprehensive portfolio of storage products and services.

Formerly owned by Imation, IronKey has been a major provider of encrypted flash drives for about a decade. The company’s products have grown increasingly important as enterprises have stepped up efforts to keep data private and assure compliance with security regulations.

IronKey’s encrypted portable storage drives are the type of solutions companies can use to make sure an employee who forgets a USB stick at the airport security line, for instance, doesn’t cause massive data theft. The devices provide hardware-level data protections that make it very difficult for a third party to access private information in the event of device theft or loss.

By acquiring IronKey, Kingston Digital hopes to pitch itself as a broader provider of flash storage products. Now, the company, which is the flash-centric affiliate of storage vendor Kingston Technology, can offer security and privacy-focused flash storage solutions alongside other types of flash products.

“The addition and integration of the IronKey brand with our own award-winning line of DataTraveler encrypted USB drives provides a dynamic range of encrypted solutions for customers of all levels who want to protect mobile data,” said Nate Steffens, VP commodity Flash, Kingston. “Having our great partner DataLocker manage both the EMS and SafeConsole platforms is a win for all of our combined customers. We look forward to extending our relationship with DataLocker.”