A Military-Tough Flash Drive

Why the TAC Drive is tough enough for any business purpose

By Sarah Kessler | 
 

Courtesy company

Dr. Anthony DuBose was wrestling with cumbersome medical files while performing physicals for firefighters in Redwood City, California, when he started thinking about a better way to store patient information.

In 2006, DuBose and two partners founded TAC Health in Redwood City; they spent the next two years researching, developing, and field testing the TAC Drive. Designed to meet military standards, the rugged metal USB flash drive has survived being run over by a fire truck, frozen in dry ice, heated to 270 degrees Fahrenheit, and submerged in 100 feet of water for an hour. It even emerged unscathed from a spin in DuBose's centrifuge.

The device, which weighs less than an ounce, is intended primarily for storing medical information, though it can hold a variety of files. It can be engraved with vital stats such as blood type and drug allergies, and it comes with a free subscription to a website at which you can create a customized medical profile to sync with the TAC. Data can be encrypted with a military-grade security algorithm and password protected. The TAC starts at $25 for 1GB of storage, plus $10 for engraving.

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