Icarus and the memory stick

The number of high profile data losses as the result of misplaced portable memory is increasing at an alarming rate. This was demonstrated last month when a memory stick containing sensitive information about police operations was stolen from a Police Officer's home in Oldham. Although faced with public outrage Oldham police have handled the situation admirably, by honestly admitting guilt and promising to look at procedures within the department.

Even more recently a medical student who copied the private data of 87 patients onto a memory stick and then lost it, has landed the University Hospital of South Manchester in trouble with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Cyber threats like these are on the increase and, in particular, the loss of information stored on portable memory devices is rife. The disappointment for me is that the specialist technology already exists to stop this happening. However, organisations handling crucial data persist in trying to get by with password protected versions of consumer memory devices.

It reminds me of the legend of Icarus flying too close to the sun. Icarus’ father used wax and feathers to create wings - the wrong tools for the job. In the same way, data owners persist in using devices intended for storing photos and Word documents to handle confidential data. Icarus’ Father, aware of the limitations of his chosen materials, told Icarus to stay away from the sun. Similarly, when equipping their staff with the wrong memory devices, organisations give them advice they know will not be followed, “always password protect and keep the device safe”.

Specialist memory devices, that don’t require further password protection, should become the norm for any Government officials handling sensitive data or individuals’ personal information. Cyber threats, as well as people’s safety should be at the core of police concerns and in order to protect businesses and the public, the issue needs to be addressed at regulatory level.

New portable memory range is gamma safe for medical OEMs

~ New system also provides anti-counterfeit and limit-use functionality ~

Nexus GB has launched Datakey Electronics’ new GammaSafe memory token for the UK medical device manufacturing sector. The token is a non-volatile, reprogrammable, portable memory device that survives gamma sterilization with no loss of data. The GammaSafe system also allows medical device manufacturers to easily add anti-counterfeit and limit-use capabilities to disposable attachments that are sterilized using gamma radiation.

The GammaSafe memory token contains four kilobits of non-volatile, re-writable memory. This is accessed using an SPI bus and is functionally similar to an SPI EEPROM. But unlike actual EEPROM devices, which experience data loss and even device failure when exposed to significant doses of gamma radiation, GammaSafe memory tokens have been proven to withstand up to 45kGy (4.5Mrad) of gamma radiation with no data loss.

Medical device manufacturers who produce single-use or limited-use disposable attachments, such as catheters, filters, tubing and medical lasers that plug in to a base controller, can now add a non-volatile memory device to the attachment, even if their attachments contain no active electronics.

The GammaSafe memory token can store an encrypted product authentication code to protect against counterfeit disposables. The disposable's model number and associated parameters, along with calibration information can be written to the GammaSafe token during production; then, in the field, this data can be automatically transferred to the base controller unit, eliminating the chance for human error from incorrect data entry.

"Our rugged SlimLine memory tokens have been used with disposable medical devices for more than fifteen years," explained Victoria Barrett, PR and marketing director for Nexus GB. "Our traditional SlimLine tokens survive both EtO and autoclave sterilization methods. With the addition of the GammaSafe line, we have a portable memory solution for OEMs of medical disposables no matter which sterilization method they use; EtO, autoclave or gamma."

In addition to the memory token, the GammaSafe product line includes a line of mating receptacles. The GammaSafe receptacles are based on Datakey Electronics' proven SlimLine receptacle design and are available in through-hole (GR4220PCB), surface-mount (GR4220SMT), and panel mount (GR4310 and GR4410) models. The panel-mount receptacles are available in splash-proof (IP65-rated), immersion (IP67-rated), and EMI-reduction versions, supporting a variety of medical device applications, especially those with wash-down requirements. GammaSafe receptacles accept both GammaSafe and SlimLine memory tokens.

Unlike RFID solutions that require OEMs to integrate complicated RF transceiver circuitry and an antenna into their embedded designs, integrating the GammaSafe memory system requires only the addition of a simple receptacle. No complex circuitry is needed; he contacts of the GammaSafe receptacle simply connect directly to the microcontroller's SPI port. When the GammaSafe memory token is inserted into the receptacle, the microcontroller can read and write to it just as if it was an SPI EEPROM IC soldered to the board. Furthermore, because the GammaSafe system is contact-based, as opposed to wireless, there is no ambiguity as to which memory device is being read, a frequent concern with RFID and other wireless systems.

The GammaSafe memory token is offered with an optional integrated tether. The optional tether consists of a 5-inch (12.7 cm) cable-tie that has been pre-looped and integrated into the head of the memory token. This allows OEMs an easy way to attach the GammaSafe token to their disposable devices.

The GammaSafe memory token also features an optional sterilization indicator, which is housed within a recessed window on the front side of the token. Before sterilization, the indicator is orange in colour. After gamma sterilization (10kGy dosage or more) the indicator changes to a vivid red colour. This optional feature enables medical personnel to confirm at a glance that the sealed medical device they are about to open has undergone gamma sterilization.

Ends: 631 words

Editor’s note: This press release is available from Nexus's Virtual Press Office: www.nexus-pr.blogspot.com. If you want to stay constantly up to date on the latest news from Nexus GB, paste the following link into your RSS reader http://nexus-pr.blogspot.com/atom.xml. If you don’t have an RSS reader, I can recommend the following free package Sharp Reader.

For further information contact:
Victoria Barrett, Marketing and PR director, Nexus GB,
Rushdene House, Dodsley Grove, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9BE
Telephone: +44 (0)1730 816502
Fax: +44 (0)1730 817393
www: www.nexusgb.co.uk
e-mail: victoria@nexusgb.co.uk
Twitter: @NexusGB

Press enquiries: Richard Stone
Stone Junction Ltd, Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire Technology Park,
Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: richards@stonejunction.co.uk
www: www.stonejunction.co.uk
Blog: www.stone-junction.blogspot.com
Twitter: @RichieStone

About Nexus GB: Established in 1986 Nexus GB is Datakey Electronics’ UK and Ireland exclusive distributor for portable, rugged keys and tokens containing non-volatile memory. These reliable and re-programmable items provide data transport, security, and access control solutions even in extreme environments where other methods, such as USB memory, would not survive. Furthermore, distinct from consumer-like memory solutions, they are a well established product that will not become obsolete as technology progresses. As a result, they are commonly used by design engineers working on long term projects, with more than three million units currently in UK service.

Ref: NEX066/12/10

Legacy of consumer memory will be a generation of problems, claims Nexus GB

~ Survey suggests that obsolescence tops the list of data difficulties electronics designers face ~
A survey of design engineers conducted by portable memory specialist Nexus GB has shown that industry is beset with problems resulting from the use of consumer memory in specialist and industrial applications. Furthermore, Nexus believes that these problems will only get worse as time passes.

A staggering 70% of respondents claim to have experienced problems due to one or more of three leading factors identified in the survey; obsolescence, lack of compatibility between products from different manufacturers and loss of data due to unreliable connectors.   Independently, each of these leading factors affected 20-30% of those who took part in the study. Furthermore, these problems are all more likely to take effect the longer a product has been in circulation. As a result, Nexus believes that continued inappropriate use of consumer style memory products in industry could create a legacy of technical issues for forthcoming generations of design engineers to face.

“It’s bad enough if one of these factors affects your product when it’s launched or within a couple of years of it being in production,” explained managing director John Barrett. “However, it’s much worse if it comes into play further down the line when you might find that a complete re-design is required. This could be due to a combination of obsolescence with another factor such as changes in memory standards, for instance. This is where rectifying the issue can become really expensive. It’s far, far cheaper to start with a memory product, like our own, which is fit for purpose in the first instance.”

Over 28% of respondents agreed that using consumer memory had resulted in problems with obsolescence, while 23% said they had experienced issues with loss of data due to unreliable connectors. Incompatibility between products from different manufacturers created difficulties for 22% of respondents, while theft of the memory product itself has been a problem for 10% of the designers surveyed. Changing memory standards have surprisingly created few crises, perhaps because of the number of machines that are now built on a ‘fit and forget’ basis, with only 8.5% of participants claiming this had affected them.

“Although these are shocking figures I wouldn’t say we are surprised by them,” explained Nexus’ PR and marketing director Victoria Barrett. “Anecdotal evidence from our customer base over the years has turned up several examples of such issues de-railing OEM projects. One customer contacted us the day they launched their own product because on the same day they had received a letter from the memory manufacturer requesting a ‘last time buy’ order before production ceased!”

Nexus GB is the UK and Ireland exclusive distributor for US manufacturer Datakey Electronics’ range of portable, rugged keys and tokens containing non-volatile memory. These reliable and re-programmable items provide data transport, security, and access control solutions even in extreme environments where other methods, such as USB memory, would not survive. Furthermore, distinct from consumer-like memory solutions, they are a well established product that will not become obsolete as technology progresses. As a result, they are commonly used by design engineers working on long term projects, with more than three million units currently in UK service.

Nexus surveyed just under a hundred design engineers all of whom were working in a senior role in UK OEMs. The respondents were asked a series of non-leading multiple choice questions and the possible answers were displayed in random order with hundreds of potential combinations on each page.

Ends: 568 words

Editor’s note: This press release is available from Nexus's Virtual Press Office: http://www.nexus-pr.blogspot.com/. If you want to stay constantly up to date on the latest news from Nexus GB, paste the following link into your RSS reader http://nexus-pr.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

For further information contact:Victoria Barrett, Marketing and PR director, Nexus GB,
Rushdene House, Dodsley Grove, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9BE
Telephone: +44 (0)1730 816502
Fax: +44 (0)1730 817393
www: http://www.nexusgb.co.uk/ 
e-mail: victoria@nexusgb.co.uk 

Press enquiries: Oana Baetica or Richard Stone
Stone Junction Ltd, Business Innovation Centre
Staffordshire Technology Park, Beaconside
Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: richards@stonejunction.co.uk; oana@stonejunction.co.uk 
www: http://www.stonejunction.co.uk/ 
Blog: http://www.stone-junction.blogspot.com/

About Nexus GB: Established in 1986 Nexus GB is Datakey Electronics’ UK and Ireland exclusive distributor for portable, rugged keys and tokens containing non-volatile memory. These reliable and re-programmable items provide data transport, security, and access control solutions even in extreme environments where other methods, such as USB memory, would not survive. Furthermore, distinct from consumer-like memory solutions, they are a well established product that will not become obsolete as technology progresses. As a result, they are commonly used by design engineers working on long term projects, with more than three million units currently in UK service.

Ref: NEX059/06/2010