Introduction

iStorage is a British company that launched in 2009 after the founder saw a market for encrypted storage, and their own website tells me the 2008 guffaw with the UK Home Office played a big role here. They have since put out products in different segments, including USB drives and portable hard drives, and moved on to 2.5" SSDs when those became more affordable. Our coverage of portable encrypted storage caught their eye, as did the follow-up from a company started by Russians using military-grade encryption tech, which definitely got some attention! With M.2 drives approaching a similar level of affordability while providing excellent speeds, iStorage contacted us to see if we would be interested in their latest and greatest. It was happy coincidence that they are now also local to me, so here we are taking a look at the diskAshur M².


If the iStorage name rings a bell, it might be because Kingston.. worked.. with them to get their DataTraveller numpad-encrypted USB drive, which still had the iStorage logo on it. So needless to say, this is not just any company when it comes to these devices. In fact, iStorage is the only company to date to have FIPS 140-2 Level 2/3, NCSC CPA, NLNCSA BSPA, and NATO Restricted (NR) level certifications on their portable HDDs, in addition to a whole bunch of other certifications which are not only useful, but also mean these drives can actually be used by companies requiring encrypted storage as part of work routines. The diskAshur M² aims to continue this trend in combining the portability of the USB drive, the storage capacity and speeds of external SSDs, and certifications galore.

Packaging & Accessories

The diskAshur M² ships in a small, colorful box that has the company and product name on front, along with a large render of the drive and its salient features. This continues on the back with more specifications and features listed, and on the sides in multiple languages. A security seal and flaps keep the box sealed during transit, and we see an inner box inside what we now know was mostly for aesthetics.


The inner box is white and out of plain cardboard to keep things simple. More flaps here keep the contents inside in place during transit, and opening the box, we see a carry case inside bubble wrap for some overkill packaging that is right up my alley. Underneath, we see the accessories that come in the box.


iStorage includes a handy quick start guide (online copy here) that goes over the setup, locking, and unlocking of the drive in multiple languages. Also included is a note that walks users through solving an annoying Windows suspend state bug I have dealt with before, and this is the first time I have seen a company work with Microsoft to resolve the issue. So major props to iStorage for this. They also provide a much more detailed user manual online, which I recommend reading over the quick start guide when you have the time. Finally, we get two cables for the drive. Both have a USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) Micro-B SuperSpeed plug on one end and either a USB Type-A connector or a USB Type-C connector on the other for use with your PC/laptop port options.


The diskAshur M² comes inside a handy carry case that has a handle, a zipper lock, and the iStorage logo on front. Opening the case, we see the drive enclosed on one side and a zip-lined pouch for accessories (the cables seen above) on the other.