If the encryption of data is not needed, can it be disabled on a Defender drive?
The objective of the Defender family of drives is security of the data stored. The F100, F150, and F200 employ FIPS 256 bit hardware encryption to accomplish this. There is no method of using the drives without proper authentication and encryption of the data. Similarly, there is no method of disabling or deleting the software.
The Pivot Plus, while not a part of the Defender family, also uses hardware encryption and has no method of reformatting the device or disabling the password access.
The Defender F50 uses software encryption and can be used as a typical flash drive, if the encryption of data is not desired. The drive will always appear to the computer as two drives, a CD-ROM drive and a second F50 Pivot drive. The F50 Pivot drive can be used the same as any non-encrypting drive.
For users that do not want or need the secure encryption capabilities, Ironkey has a broad range of other USB products that may better meet the needs.