This means that all data is encrypted as soon as it enters the drive space.
This drive essentially separates the software on your box from the storage drive.
Having the manual at hand is essential during setup or configuration.
Once everything is set up, however, its very easy to use.
Plug it in, enter the code, and you gain access.
For businesses, the drive can be configured with an admin password and with individual user passwords.
These configs can all be configured through the keypad using the appropriate key combinations.
Once its set up, it makes an ideal solution.
However, as ever, there is a significant price premium for this level of secure data storage.
Inside this ultra-tough enclosure is the SSD.
Adding to the drives robustness and ensuring longevity, the keys are polymer-coated and wear-resistant.
This prevents revealing commonly used buttons through signs of wear, ensuring continued security over many years of use.
This cable wraps neatly around the side of the drive and tucks in securely when not in use.
Thanks to this hardware approach and software-free data encryption, the drive enables 256-bit AES-XTS encrypted NVMe storage.
All security for the drive is configured using the keypad.
Most notably, you’re able to set up separate admin and user PINs.
Once done, absolutely nothing will happen other than the locked padlock icon illuminating red.
This indicates that power is going to the drive, but the drive itself is not yet being accessed.
At this point, the USB jot down-C cable is purely delivering power with no data transfer whatsoever.
To start using the drive, it’s crucial that you set up an initial pin.
This initial PIN that you set up acts as the admin PIN.
Through this admin account, you could set up additional PINs for other users.
This is particularly useful for businesses where secure drives need to be distributed to team members for use on-site.
Additionally, the drive enables you to set up a read-only mode using the keypad.
This process securely wipes all data from the drive.
While these features are straightforward to set up, the manual is essential for understanding the required keypress combinations.
In terms of security, the Aegis NVX is well above most competitors.
The milled aluminium casing gives it one of the most robust builds of any portable hard drive weve tested.
Additionally, the hardware encryption ensures that host devices cannot attempt unauthorised access.
One final point about the drives performance is its flexibility.
In our testing, we used the macOS APFS file system and NTFS with Windows 11 Pro.
For more on-the-go storage, we reviewed thebest portable SSDs.
