GuardKey USB Encryption Dongle For Drives and Cloud Review

Bohs Hansen / 8 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At the time of writing, the GuardKey USB Encryption Dongle is available at Amazon for $59.99. It is currently not available in Europe, at least I couldn’t find any listing for it.

Conclusion

The GuardKey is an incredible simple principle that combines the best of two worlds. You get a digital 256-bit encryption that is guarded by a physical key. Much like your normal properties are protected by the front door and the key for it.

The installation and setup is so easy that anyone can do it. A few clicks, enter a password, and you are all set. That is also the only downside to this encryption dongle, you need to install the software for it to work. A portable executable would have been great and allowed users to gain access to their drives on systems where they can’t install any software.

In combination with your mobile devices, you get even more flexibility and access to your cloud-based encrypted file lockers. You also get two-factor authentification options in case the physical USB dongle isn’t enough safety for you. It can easily be duplicated, just as a normal key, which makes backups very easy. You don’t need to purchase an expensive and specialized drive, you can use any flash drive as key.

Overall, a great idea that still could use a little fine polishing but that works as it should and is very easy to use. The price is also more than fair and far better than such a solution usually would cost.

Pros

Adds a physical aspect to file-security
Easy to duplicate and use
Almost Plug-and-Play
Fair price

Cons

Software requires installation

“The GuardKey adds a physical key to your digital safety. It is an awesome little tool that will help you keep prying eyes away from your personal and sensitive files.”