The GCHQ Information Assurance arm of the UK awards BlockMaster SafeStick with CESG claims testing certificate

UNITED KINGDOM, London, 25th August 2010: BlockMaster (www.blockmastersecurity.com), a provider of manageable secure USB flash drives, today announces that its SafeStick drive is the first hardware USB drive to receive a CESG Claims Test Mark (CCTM) certification, which independently ratifies the security functionality of the device, significantly saving time and money on product testing and selection.

The CCTM certification provides a quality kite mark for buyers in the government and private sector and saves organisations valuable time spent testing and assuring buyers that equipment delivers on its promises, critical for USB devices which are designed to protect against data loss, which could result in irreparable brand damage and financial loss.

“In today’s economic climate, no IT department wants to make a rash purchasing decision, forcing many to spend long hours testing that equipment not only meets their needs, but also performs the role which it claims to on the box,” said Anders Pettersson, CSO, BlockMaster. “The CCTM certification checks that SafeStick delivers on its claims, removing any perceived risk of purchasing the device and providing peace-of-mind to public and private sector organisations that all information is protected on the move.”

This accreditation builds on BlockMaster’s existing strength within the public sector. In 2009, it announced several public sector contracts with NHS Practices to supply 180,000 SafeStick devices to NHS staff to better secure data and make patient file transfers easier and safer to manage.

Head of the CCTM Secretariat, Peter Hayes concludes: “BlockMaster’s SafeStick does what it claims to, and we can see how it delivers security and protection of information, providing a layer of trust to buyers across the public sector when handling data below the Restricted
level.

Pettersson continues: “The CCTM kite mark, which many countries compare to Common Criteria EAL1 or EAL2 makes SafeStick and SafeConsole an effortless purchase compared to any other competing product, as buyers automatically know that they can trust the specifications and capabilities of the devices. We are proud to be the first provider of managed secure USB drives to receive this important certification and look forward to the prospect of working with many more public and private bodies.

"It is great news to hear that SafeStick now has CESG accreditation, this should now open up more doors with regards to public sector sales and should appease compliance managers no end," said James Baker, Senior Sales Manager, Softek.

The CCTM accredited BlockMaster products are already available for purchase and a SafeStick 1GB starts at £38 (RRP).