A major energy company operating critical infrastructure across multiple locations faced the challenge of securely transporting data storage media between its facilities and a central data center.

Its IT infrastructure was geographically dispersed, with hard drives, SSDs and backup tapes regularly requiring transfer for maintenance, replacement, archiving or secure disposal.

These media often contained sensitive operational information, making their transportation a potential security risk. The company needed to protect them not only against physical damage, but also against unauthorized access, loss or theft during transit.

With multiple locations and frequent transfers, maintaining visibility and control over the movement of data-bearing media was becoming increasingly difficult.

The key challenge was to establish a secure, standardized transportation process that would protect sensitive data and ensure accountability at every stage of the journey.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE CUSTOMER

What steps has the company taken?

• Reviewing existing transport procedures
  The company assessed how data storage media were transported between locations, identifying potential security risks and gaps in the existing process.
• Defining security requirements
  The team established requirements for protecting sensitive media against physical damage, unauthorized access, loss and theft during transportation.
• Evaluating available solutions
  The company explored secure transport solutions that could accommodate different types of media while supporting tracking and control throughout the journey.

SOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED BY PRODEVICE

Secure Media Transportation with ProDevice USC

ProDevice recommended the USC (Universal Storage Case), designed to protect sensitive data storage media during transportation between the company’s distributed facilities and central data center.

The rugged cases provide protection against physical damage, dust and water, making them suitable for transporting HDDs, SSDs, backup tapes and other compatible media, including in demanding environments.

For greater visibility during transportation, ProDevice also recommended the optional IoT GPS monitoring system, enabling the company to track the location of cases and maintain better control over media in transit.

Available in different sizes and configurations, USC cases allow the company to select the appropriate capacity for each transport requirement.

This solution supports a more secure and standardized transportation process, helping reduce the risks associated with moving sensitive data storage media between geographically dispersed locations.

In the energy sector, even routine IT maintenance can involve moving data-bearing media beyond the boundaries of a secured facility. Each transfer introduces additional people, locations and handover points into the process.

A consistent approach to media transportation helps organizations establish clear responsibilities and reduce reliance on improvised handling procedures. This is particularly important in geographically dispersed operations, where maintaining the same security practices across every site can be challenging.

By treating media transportation as part of the broader data security strategy, organizations can strengthen operational resilience and reduce risks throughout the data lifecycle.

THE RESULTS

After implementing several recommendations, the company noted some significant benefits:

• Enhanced media protection
  Sensitive data storage media are better protected against physical damage and environmental conditions during transportation.
• Reduced risk of loss or theft
  Dedicated transport cases help reduce the risks associated with moving sensitive media between facilities.
• Improved transport visibility
  Optional GPS tracking enables better visibility of case locations throughout the transportation process.
• Standardized security procedures
  A consistent transportation approach supports uniform media handling practices across geographically dispersed facilities.
• Greater operational efficiency
  Organized media transportation simplifies logistics and supports smoother transfers between remote sites and the central data center.

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