“The first thing to note is that iStorage isn’t just touting security features on their marketing slides: the company went out and received several highly regarded certifications, with the most impressive (in my opinion) being FIPS 140-2 validation through the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). You can read about all of the requirements that FIPS 140-2 validation entails at the NIST website, but in a nutshell, reviewers look at everything from role-based access, the physical security of the device, cryptographic key management, EMI impact, and more. The standard has four levels, and the diskAshur PRO2 was validated at level 3.
In addition to FIPS 140-2 validation, the diskAshur PRO2 also has NLNCSA BSPA certification as well as NATA Restricted Level certification. It also is NCSC CPA rated, and meets Common Criteria EAL4+ (security and government both love their acronyms!)…although many companies claim that their devices are secure, iStorage went the extra mile and had it independently validated; for me, the fact that it received FIPS 140-2 validation from NIST proves that it’s a top-notch value because that’s a difficult bar to reach…”
