Housing trust identifies USB pen drives as security threat

Midlands home provider guards against external drives

Wrekin housing trust, one of the largest providers in of homes in the Midlands, is using security software to combat the threat from portable devices like USB pen drives and iPods.

The system is being deployed to the trust 450 PCs and laptops, and will prevent sensitive data from being removed from the machines and enforce its policies on removable media use.

It will also prevent the external drives from spreading viruses onto Wrekin's network and be user specific, allowing the use of different devices based on job role, allowing access only to approved kit.

Wrekin has over 12,000 houses on its books and carries a lot of confidential data about people, says its desktop and server resource specialist, Rick Korsak.

'The rise of gadgets in the office meant this data could be easily stolen or damaged without us being any the wiser,' he said.

'DeviceWall provides instant visibility of every device that’s connected to our network within an easy to use interface.'

What do you think? Email us at [email protected]