Q: I've heard that I should use an encrypted USB drive. What do you recommend?

University policy and established practice require that personal information (PI), if it’s not stored on a secure server, must be encrypted. The use of whole-disk encryption ensures that, if the storage device (like a USB drive or laptop) is lost or stolen, the data on it will be inaccessible and would therefore not be considered to have been exposed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner. For a long time, encrypted USB drives tended to be significantly more expensive than unencrypted ones, which slowed adoption. However, much lower-priced options have become available in recent years. Our recommendation is the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ encrypted drive, which is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. These drives are stocked by MedStore.