Hardware-Encrypted SSDs and CSfC Data-at-Rest Protection for Defense and Edge Systems

Cigent Technology builds data-at-rest protection for organizations whose storage devices operate outside physically secure facilities: U.S. defense and intelligence users, government contractors, and operators of unmanned vehicles and industrial control systems. The company grew out of work by specialists in data recovery, sanitization, and exfiltration prevention, and is led by founder and distinguished engineer Tony Fessel alongside executives drawn from Dell's client security organization. Its portfolio spans encrypted SSDs for laptops, workstations, enterprise servers, and embedded platforms.

Protection is layered rather than singular. An outer layer of AES-256 hardware full-drive encryption, validated by NIAP and listed on the NSA CSfC Data-at-Rest components list, pairs with an inner AES-256 software encryption layer whose key management stays cryptographically separate. Pre-boot authentication verifies the user before the operating system loads, keeping keys outside the OS environment, and supports multifactor methods including CAC cards and hardware security keys. Drives can also expose up to eight independently locked partitions enforced at the sector level.

Verified sanitization distinguishes the portfolio. Beyond crypto erase and block erase, patented firmware performs block-by-block analysis and keeps erasing until destruction is confirmed, letting agencies reuse drives rather than physically destroy them. Immutable access logs export to SIEM tooling, while a command-line interface integrates with MECM/SCCM and Ansible for fleet-scale deployment. Ten patents, NSA, NIAP, and DISA validations, and distribution through Dell, Seagate, Carahsoft, and public-sector integrators anchor its position in the classified-data market.