SanDisk's SecureAccess USB Drive Encryption Software

September 7, 2011

While surfing the web the other day, I came across Sandisk's new encryption software for usb drives, called Sandisk SecureAccess powered by YuuWaa. Having just helped a client encrypt some usb drives using TrueCrypt (which works well enough but is a little confusing to get set up correctly), I thought this might be a better solution. I've also used U3 on an old 4Gb SanDisk Cruzer, and loved the encryption process it used (SanDisk has now discontinued the U3 software).

SecureAccess makes a passworded "vault" folder that you can copy files to. Evidently, the "vault" expands and contracts space as needed, which I think is kinda cool. Anyway, I immediately whipped out my 16 Gb SanDisk Cruzer and took it for a spin. The software is able to be loaded on any usb drive, simply down load it (26 Mb) to the drive and double click to install. The installation is simple enough, asking for a password (and confirmation) and a hint. Once it's set up, a screen loads showing four different ways to transfer files to the encrypted file section on the usb drive. So onward and upward with my testing.

Some issues I found include the length of time it takes to copy large files. I copied a few files of different sizes and found it pretty slow going. A one gig file took about seven minutes, about twice as long as it takes to transfer to the unencrypted portion on the disk. Another issue is the SecureAccess Manager window showed a 3.8 Gb file as 14564541 Gbs. Also, the stop button doesn't stop the copy process, which is a little irritating when trying to cancel a 3.8 Gb transfer. I also did not like that the files are copied over, not transferred - i.e. it leaves the original so that you have to go in and delete it if you don't want it laying around.

Finally, not so much an issue as a different way of doing things, this encryption system is really is like a vault, you put files into it and take them out. If you try to access a file in the vault, you only have read access. This is not like other encrypted drive I've used, where you transfer files, access files from programs and even run programs, all on the on the encrypted drive itself. FYI, the software installs itself on your computer and comes up in the taskbar every time, not just when the usb drive is inserted.

I also need to mention that with this software you are able to backup up to two gig online for free. I didn't test this, as that's not what I was looking for and two gig really isn't that much. I'm sure you can purchase more space for a monthly fee.

In all, SanDisk SecureAccess was not what I (or my client) was looking for. For some people, this might well be a great solution. This is only version 1.1, so I'm sure they will work out any bugs and add improvements over time. I know I'll keep an eye on it, as it has great possibilities. If you're interested, you can view their video and software info here, http://sandisk.com/misc/secure-access.

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