Flexxon X-Phy Embedded AI Cyber Secure SSD Reviewed.

With cyberattacks getting more and more elaborate, it’s high time that consumers start to get serious about safeguarding their data. With more people working from home, it’s inevitable that sensitive material will be brought out of the office, perhaps even uploaded onto less secure hardware. Here’s where the Flexxon X-Phy Embedded AI Cyber Secure SSD comes in.

The Flexxon X-Phy SSD is an SSD (which comes in U.2 or M.2 2280 form factors) that is meant to be your last line of defence in case of a serious security breach on your hardware. This is the nuclear option right here. When all else fails, this bad boy is your final stand. It’s not meant to replace your regular suite of security software (such as anti-virus programs and the like) but rather complement them, shoring up any vulnerabilities at the hardware level.

The M.2 version of the SSD goes for US$360 (512GB) and US$570 (1TB), with the U.2 versions going for US$10 more. Yeah, it’s a pretty pricey but can you really put a price on the peace of mind you’ll have? A regular SSD’s cheaper for sure, but it doesn’t come with the hardware that the Flexxon X-Phy has packing. In the long run, the high cost might be palatable if you’re thinking in terms of cyber security.

If you have data that you really need to secure, this is something you really out to think about, even if you’re a regular consumer. Data theft is a serious issue and is growing to be more of a threat with the advent of better computing hardware. Whether you like it or not, even normal users will be needing some serious hardware measures in the coming years.

Why not jump ahead of the curve and just do it now?

Our Flexxon X-Phy SSD review unit came with a customized Lenovo ThinkPad X1, the X-Phy CyberPad C14. If you’re interested in such a bundle yourself, head on over to Flexxon’s site to see which of their selection of notebooks suit your needs.

I’m not going to review the laptop, but just focus on the Flexxon X-Phy Embedded AI Cyber Secure SSD aspects.

First thing right off the bat, it’s not going look any different from other regular notebooks. There aren’t any special devices like a retina scanner or the like. This isn’t Hollywood. The Flexxon X-Phy SSD functions like a regular SSD in every single storage aspect. It stores data and it has a decently fast transfer and write rate.

The main features (the ones you’re interested in), only come into play in certain situations.

One of these situation’s when you’ve been subjected to a Ransomware attack. The X-Phy SSD’s embedded AI will notice it and step into action to head it off at the pass.

Upon detection of a threat to your system that’s bypassed everything you have, the X-Phy SSD encrypts your data for safekeeping. That way nothing gets leaked, the Ransomware issue’s dealt with and you’re safe. No extortion in your future. The SSD even sends out an email to let you know what’s happened. All this in the amount of time you need to go to your fridge from the sofa for a drink.

There’s a very intuitive UI that guides you through setting up the SSD, so there’s really not much technical know-how required. The UI is easy to navigate, and features a couple of nifty shortcuts. I particularly like the Disk Life indicator, which tells how long much long the SSD will be able to function.

There’s nothing overly technical that you need to worry about in regards to the SSD. If you can read and understand English, you can do use the UI with no issues.

I can’t stress how easy it is to get everything up and running despite this being a pretty hardcore piece of hardware. Everything’s user friendly. I’m honestly impressed that Flexxon’s designers have dumbed down all the SSD’s features so that even luddites can understand.

You’ll also need to download the X-Phy app to unlock the SSD when an event has occurred as an extra measure of security. All these will be highlighted to you as you’re setting up the SSD, so don’t worry at all.

Yup, you heard that right. Once you’re set up, nobody can access your data unless they have your smart device.

Even if somebody forcing removes your Flexxon X-Phy SSD and steals it, it’s going to do them no good at all. The data can only be unlocked by you (via an OTP sent to your email), with your app. Same thing if they somehow manages to get on your PC and try to clone the SSD. You’ll be informed by the device itself.

How does the SSD know all this?

It’s all due to Flexxon’s AI One Core Quantum Engine, which works behind the scenes to determine if there’s a threat to the SSD. The AI’s working on low-level programming, which means it’s not hampered by OS commands. It interacts directly via hardware without the need for a ‘translator’, giving it immensely fast reaction speeds in the event of a security breach.

Honestly, you don’t need to know more than that. All you need to know is that the device works as advertised and if you’re looking for a hardware based cyber security solution, this is it.

The Bottom Line.

I must admit that I was a little apprehensive to review the Flexxon X-Phy SSD.

I’m a techie, but I don’t know much about cybersecurity. Hell, in doing the review, I had to look up a ton of things to understand how the Flexxon X-Phy SSD actually works.

Which is why I can honestly say that it really does work as advertised.

I don’t know the mumbo jumbo involved (and I think it’ll go over my head anyways), but then again I don’t need to. You don’t either. All you need to know is that data you entrust to it is safe.

The PC program that manages all aspects of the SSD is extremely user friendly and it doesn’t take a techie to make heads or tails of it. You can easily consider aspects of the SSD you want to activate, or just turn them all on. Recovery is made incredibly simple due to the app, which means anybody can do it.

If you’ve ever had to use an authenticator (such as for internet banking), you can use the Flexxon X-Phy SSD with no issues.

TLDR:

A must for those with sensitive data to protect.