03.19.20

The Laptop Alternative, the Thumbtop - Managed Secure USBs with Managed Apps - DataLocker Inc.

What if your “laptop” only weighed 9 grams, never broke down, and took 3 minutes to issue out? DataLocker’s managed, encrypted USB drives can be utilized as thumbtops: smaller, smarter, tougher, lighter, and cheaper than a laptop. They allow your organization to stay compliant, secure, and productive. Compared to online virtual environments and remote PCs, DataLocker USB drives work when the networks are choppy and intermittent. Thumbtops work online and offline. Many journalists fear that a surge of remote working people and at home, streaming children may cause a network overload. A solution that can handle offline work, makes sense.

Benefits of Thumbtops

  • Great cost saving compared to laptops, tie up less cash
  • Encrypted USB drives used as thumbtops offer cost savings in distribution and are easier to carry with you (a few grams vs. a sore shoulder)
  • Hardware encrypted thumbtops offer a high level of management control through SafeConsole with audit trails and remote password resets among other features
  • Deploy in minutes and setup scripts for downloads or install apps through SafeConsole
  • Thumbtops are perfect for secure and regulatory compliant work on guest/shared PCs
  • USB 3.0 and premium storage components offer a speedy experience
  • Secure USBs are extremely robust compared to laptops
    • Laptops have a general failure rate greater than 15% over two years 
    • DataLocker secure USB storage devices are far below 0.5% and they can even withstand dust and moisture
    • If the host PC breaks, your data is safe and accessible when you find a new host PC
  • Lower environmental impact (much less materials and rare earth metals used)
  • It is easy to recycle/reuse thumptops for new users – a secure USB can be remotely reset in 30 seconds and issued to a new user vs. many hours of work per laptop

Use Cases for Thumbtops

  • Remote workers can access corporate applications through approved apps and be allowed to securely store data offline when needed – for example when Internet is unavailable
  • Students and researchers, are provided their own environment and storage for work to secure access on shared PCs
  • Disaster recovery, during trying times, this is a cost-efficient way of enabling the workforce on any PC
  • System admin troubleshooting using different tools

Software to Deploy with Thumbtops 

  • For regular use, a suite of portable applications is available through PortableApps.com including: FireFox browser, Thunderbird email client to allow offline work, and OpenOffice Suite
  • For power users that require special operating systems and applications, Portable VirtualBox can be run on thumbtops – this popular virtualization environment made portable is perfect for developers, engineers, and consultants that require full control
  • DataLocker also offers two additional SafeConsole managed software agents that offer compliance and can complement thumbtops when possible.