News
Swissbit launched a new product range of USB 3.1 flash drives
May 2018 by Marc Jacob
Swissbit is pleased to announce the introduction of a new product range of USB 3.1 flash drives. The new USB sticks fulfill the tough requirements of flash memory for industrial use. The series is based on a highly sophisticated USB 3.1 flash controller and comprises the product range U-500k with a highly reliable SLC-NAND and U-50k with MLC-NAND. Furthermore, a version with MLC-NAND in pSLC configuration is offered under the name U-56k. The benefit: an endurance seven times longer than that of a MLC-NAND with the same memory density. By the third quarter of 2018, the SLC versions with densities of 2 to 32 GB, the MLC version with 16 to 128 GB and the pSLC configuration with 8 to 64 GB will be available.
Particularly important considering the new stricter data protection provisions: all USB 3.1 sticks are also offered in versions with integrated data protection features.
USB flash drives are often used to transport data between different locations or as exchangeable memory expansion in industrial applications such as log data storage, data backup, system upgrade or as license token. Now Swissbit offers new USB stick ranges that fulfill the same requirements for professional applications as other industrial storage solutions yet are extremely easy to use and universally applicable.
Firmware for smart memory chip usage
In combination with the SuperSpeed USB 3.1 interface, U-500k, U-50k and U 56k offer outstanding data rates for the sequential writing of data. As the firmware works with page-based mapping, the random-write IOPS performance increases, while wear decreases significantly. This in turn makes USB sticks the perfect solution for data logging applications. Smart firmware routines recognize weak data segments and update them before any data loss occurs. This is particularly important when used as boot medium or for long-term data storage.
Security and data protection
Swissbit will offer special variants of these USB sticks for confidential or license-relevant content under the names PU-500k, PU-50k and PU-56k. Configurable security options allow for data encryption and access restrictions with PIN protection including repeat counter and hidden or read-only partitions. The data protection option “DP” prevents data from being spied upon in case of loss or theft of a flash drive. Furthermore, the secured USB stick can also be employed as copy-protected license tokens.
Proven casing
For the new USB 3.1 product range, Swissbit AG once again has opted for their proven flash drive casing “unitedCONTRAST II”, already used for their USB 2.0 sticks, which is also available in customized designs. Additionally, Swissbit will add a “Nano” casing to their range - a robust flash drive in an enclosed tamper-proof metal casing.
