IBM has banned its staff from using removable storage devices.
An advisory to staff penned by IBM global chief Information security officer Shamla Naidoo said the company “is expanding the practise of prohibiting data transfer to all removable portable storage devices (eg: USB, SD card, flash drive).”
The advisory says some pockets of IBM have had this policy for a while, but “over the next few weeks we are implementing this policy worldwide.”
Big Blue’s doing this because “the possible financial and reputational damage from misplaced, lost or misused removable portable storage devices must be minimised.”
IBMers are advised to use Big Blue’s preferred sync ‘n’ share service to move data around.
But the advisory also says that the move may be “disruptive for some”.
He’s not wrong: The Register understands that frontline iBM staff sometimes need to download patches so they can be installed on devices they manage for clients and that bootable USB drives are one means of installing those patches.
Indeed, IBM offers advice on how to install Linux on its own POWER 9 servers using a USB key.
Source: The Register