A Physical Write Protect Switch on USB and NVMe devices can serve two very important purposes; 1) protect the data on the drive, and 2) protect the drive from malware and other threats. Unlike other manufacturers who may provide software-based write-protection, Kanguru provides a convenient hardware switch physically on the drive housing itself, so that the user can physically switch back and forth between "read/write", or "read only" - before plugging in the drive. A physical write protect switch makes it very simple to switch to "Read-Only" mode, making it a great advantage over software write protection that might require formatting the drive or management tools.

 See all Kanguru devices with a physical write protect switch

Protect The Data On The Drive With "Read Only" Mode

When the switch is flipped to the "locked" position on the drive, it enables the device as "read-only" and cannot be written to.  Information on the drive can only be opened and read, but no changes or additions can be saved back to the drive and none of the existent files can be overwritten or deleted. Files also cannot be transferred or added from the host computer to the drive. This is highly useful if you only want to view and retain the data on the drive as-is, and not overwrite any of the data on the device. Examples of protecting data with the physical write protect switch in the "Read-Only" mode might include:

• Businesses who want to provide instructional documentation for viewing only
• Students or educators who wish to retain and view notes or refer to learning materials
• Corporations or SMBs with training documents, rules/regulations, policies
• Trade show videos, brochures or endorsements
• Advertising, events
• Real Estate, insurance policies, terms, logs
• Legal data: Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney
• Medical training, documentation, Healthcare Proxy, instructions, etc.

When the switch is made back to "read/write" mode, the drive can once again be written to as a normal device. Documents can be opened, changed, and saved back to the drive, and files can be overwritten or deleted. Files can also be moved and saved from the host computer to the drive.

 

Protect the Drive From Malware With "Read-Only" Mode

Similarly, when the switch is enabled to the "locked" or "Read-Only" position on the drive, it cannot be written to, so any malware, spyware, viruses, worms or trojans on the host computer cannot make their way onto the drive. This is highly useful for IT departments and administrators when conducting safe re-installations, testing, or resetting original files or backups. Examples of protecting the drive with "Read Only" mode might include:

• Reinstalling operating systems on an infected host computer
• Resetting a computer to its original settings to remove viruses or malware
• Installing back-up files
• Reinstall software applications and programs

Kanguru provides a variety of drives with a physical write protect switch, including secure flash drives, standard flash drives, external solid state drives, external hard drives, and a USB-C M.2 NVMe external SSD.