USB flash drives, sometimes also referred to as jump drives or thumb drives, are unquestionably useful tools in the information age. They provide an inexpensive means of backing up and sharing large files, and can even be configured to hold a mobile software suite that will allow you to get your work done on any compatible computer – a boon for any lawyer who travels regularly.

The readily available drives may, however, present a significant security threat for any firm or business whose employees regularly handle sensitive information. It isn’t difficult to imagine an attorney loading a flash drive with client files and then accidentally dropping the drive – and the client’s confidential information – on the train, nor would it be difficult at all for an unscrupulous employee or contractor to plug a flash drive into a firm computer and copy over vital, confidential data without detection.

How do you balance the usefulness of such flash drives with their potential security risk? ComputerWorld reports one solution: Washington State’s Division of Child Support banned its employees from using their own personal flash drives, and instead issued employees state-owned SanDisk Cruzer drives with built in encryption and password protection. This move not only protects sensitive information contained on the drives in the event they’re misplaced or stolen, but also helps prevent unauthorized flash drives being used to break the department’s security.

For more on flash drives, read our FYI: Computing on the Go: Thumb Drives.