Kingston to Enable “Windows To Go” Windows 8 Feature with Bootable USB Flash Drive

One of the more enterprise-friendly features of the upcoming Windows 8 OS is Windows To Go, which essentially allows users to carry around Windows 8 on a USB stick. The specific definition is as follows, right from Microsoft’s mouth (er, well, the Windows 8 Enterprise page anyway.)

Windows To Go is a fully manageable corporate Windows 8 desktop on a bootable external USB stick. This will allow IT organizations to support the “Bring Your Own PC” trend and businesses can give contingent staff access to the corporate environment without compromising security.

Make sense? Cool.

Windows To Go not only allows users to plug into any number of PCs around the company and run their own desktop, it also makes the bring-your-own-PC trend possible.

Kingston is currently working with Microsoft to perfect a flash drive that will be ideal for supporting Windows To Go, and the stick will be fully bootable and incorporate SSD technology. Genesys Logic, Inc. and LSI Corp (with its SandForce processor) are part of the development group.

Eventually, the final version of the product will be called the DataTraveler Workspace, but there’s already a beta version built with the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate available for brave early adopters..

Kingston Digital to Create Certified USB Flash Drive for Windows To Go

Kingston Develops Bootable USB 3.0 Drive for Enterprise Use

Fountain Valley, CA -- August 21, 2012 -- Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is working with Microsoft to create a Windows To Go compatible USB Flash drive. Windows To Go is a new feature in Windows 8 Enterprise that enables enterprises to provision a full corporate desktop on an external USB drive enabling users to boot and operate from multiple PCs. This new drive is a unique external USB 3.0 device capable of SSD-like performance and achieves all Windows 8 certification requirements.

The Kingston® DataTraveler® Workspace USB Flash drive, to be released this October, is designed for enterprise environments that want to use Windows To Go to support their mobile workforce and contingent staff for scenarios such as bring your own device and sharing PCs. The drive is fully bootable and incorporates SSD technology in a small USB form factor so users can access their enterprise system from a portable device.

?We are excited to have Kingston as an associate on Windows To Go. Our joint innovation will further enable mobile work styles. Kingston?s DataTraveler Workspace will give our customers the performance and endurance required to deliver a great experience when running Windows 8 Enterprise from a USB drive,? said Karri Alexion-Tiernan, Director of Product Marketing, Windows Enterprise, Microsoft.

?Kingston has been working together with Microsoft for over a year in developing a USB Flash drive capable of meeting the requirements of Windows To Go. We are excited to offer this drive to our enterprise customers later this year,? said Andrew Ewing, Flash memory business manager, Kingston. ?We appreciate the work from Genesys Logic, Inc., who have helped ensure that the drive is compatible and can boot from the latest systems. Kingston would also like to recognize the work of LSI Corporation in helping to ensure the forthcoming USB Flash drive with their SandForce Flash Storage Processor meets the performance requirements of Windows To Go.?

Kingston currently has a beta version of the drive available for enterprises or organizations in need of evaluating the Windows To Go feature of Windows 8 Enterprise. For more information visit www.kingston.com/wtg.