Data Security and Encryption
Multiple points of protection from design to usage and beyond.
Built-In Security from the Inside Out
To keep your data safe, Western Digital has a holistic security process for enterprise hard drives. By integrating security into the firmware, hardware, and manufacturing processes, we ensure your data is protected using industry-standard encryption protocols and data access control.
Development
From the early stages of product design, data security is a key consideration.
Manufacturing
Stringent processes ensure drive authenticity and protection.
Deployment
Secure firmware download and authentication make sure the device is protected.
Use
Industry-standard protocols help protect against unauthorized access to the device data.
End of Life
Our Easy Recycle program sustainably and securely recycles the device.
Outcomes
Purposeful security-oriented design and feature development help ensure two main outcomes.
Anatomy of Data Security
For tamper-proof protection, security is built into the drive at various points.
Unique Identification
Unique identifiers, including, but not limited to, a serial number for every drive, allow for tracing and authentication measures.
Authorized Users Only
The drive can also offer protection for user data at rest, through encryption and access control, to ensure that the data can only be accessed by authorized users in the case of loss, theft, or remote attack.
Firmware Protection
After manufacture, drive firmware is protected with secure download and authentication procedures. These help ensure that the drive functionality cannot be maliciously tampered with during the delivery process to the customer, or thereafter.
Afterlife Security
The drive must offer protection when the drive is decommissioned, such that user data can be erased and the drive taken out of use or repurposed for another use.
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TECH BRIEF
Protect Your Drive, Protect Your Data
Learn more about our security approach to enterprise drives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Data encryption is a useful and strong solution for providing data security, either by use of software or hardware. Encryption scrambles data into meaningless characters that can only be made readable with an encryption key, and enables Instant Secure Erase where you can eradicate your data instantly by destroying the encryption key.