Self-Encrypting Drives in Video Management Systems
Security installations of high-risk objects must provide the greatest possible protection against unauthorised access to the stored information. One of the possibilities to achieve this is to store sensitive data encrypted. Special so-called self-encrypting drives (SEDs) are required for this. A SED automatically and continuously encrypts the data it stores, without any user interaction.
One of the preconditions we set for these disks is that this encryption must not be at the expense of performance. The speed in RAID 5 or 6 data configurations with a large storage capacity and a large amount of data processing per second, is particularly crucial for a professional video management system, such as VDG Sense. In order to offer our customers of high-risk objects the best possibilities for an optimally functioning video management system, we looked for solid partners for the storage of encrypted data. Because of the good performance and endurance of the HDD SEDs we have chosen for Western Digital as one of our partners. After extensive testing, the combination of Western Digital SEDs and an LSI Broadcom Raid controller proved to provide the best results for our solutions. Using this combination TKH Security offers a very high level of data security for the storage of video images and other (privacy) sensitive data. A consequence that must be taken into account when using SEDs is that they are not 100% self-starting. When booting the system, a security password must be entered to release the encryption. The current systems of TKH Security are equipped with a so-called Remote Management Module, enabling an authorized user to enter the required password locally or remotely, even in the Bios of the server. Depending on the security settings, the data can be erased after frequently entering an incorrect password.
If you require any further information about the application of self-encripting drives, feel free to contact us.