Wave Systems, CDW team for SMB encryption solutions

Wave Systems, which created an innovative cloud service for managing self-encrypting drives earlier this year, has teamed up with technology services company CDW to sharpen its focus on small and midsize businesses.

Self-encrypting drives support hardware-based encryption through technology embedded into their central processing unit. Wave Systems has created a series of related products designed for SMBs, including the Wave Encryption Service (WES). The cloud-based service works in conjunction with data encryption technologies on laptop computers, including Microsoft Bitlocker. According to Wave Systems, WES is the only cloud-based service for managing Opal self-encrypting drives; Opal is a specification developed by the Trusted Computing Group. WES helps make the technology more widely available to SMBs, said Brian Berger, executive vice president of marketing and sales for the company.

The relationship disclosed this week will enable CDW to sell and integrate Wave Systems endpoint security technology. The portfolio includes:

• Embassy Remote Administration Server, which is a management console for managing self-encrypting drives. The management system also works with the native encryption in Windows 7, with Safend Encryptor and with removable media encryption.
• Safend Protector and Inspector, which are endpoint security applications.
• Wave Endpoint Monitor, which activates and manages Trusted Platform Module security chips.