- Virtual CIO
5 Strategic IT Decisions Every Growing Business Needs to Make
3 Mar, 2026
£298.08 inc. VAT
AI-generated summary
The Crucial X10 (encrypted) is a solid choice if you want a fast, pocketable external SSD that doesn’t feel flimsy and you actually care about data protection. At £247.57 ex-VAT for 2TB, it’s priced more like a “proper work drive” than a cheap USB stick—so I’d only buy it if you’re using it for real business stuff: transferring client files, running backups, or moving project data between laptops/locations. The matte finish is a nice touch for day-to-day handling, and encrypted drives like this help when people inevitably end up with devices in bags and drawers that aren’t as controlled as the office.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re expecting “internal SSD” performance in every scenario or if you’re cost-optimising heavily—this is external pricing, and you can find less expensive encrypted options depending on your workflow. Also, if your team needs drive management at scale (central policies, lots of IT visibility), you’ll want to sanity-check how the encryption is handled in practice on Windows/macOS, because those details matter more than the headline numbers. Overall: good buy for individuals or small teams who want a reliable encrypted external that just works, but don’t treat it as the cheapest route to storage for bulk departmental use.

Lenovo
Lenovo - SSD - encrypted - 4 TB - performance - internal - M.2 2280 - PCI Express 5.0 x4 (NVMe) - TCG Opal Encryption 2.0 - CRU - for ThinkCentre neo 50q QC, ThinkPad P1 Gen 8, ThinkStation P2 Tower Gen 2, P3 Ultra Gen 2

Lenovo
Intel S4610 Mainstream - SSD - encrypted - 480 GB - hot-swap - 3.5" - SATA 6Gb/s - 256-bit AES - for ThinkAgile VX23XX Appliance, VX3331, VX55XX Appliance, VX75XX Certified Node

Kingston
Kingston DC600M - SSD - Mixed Use - 1.92 TB - internal - 2.5" - SATA 6Gb/s

Dell
Dell - Custom Kit - SSD - Read Intensive - 1.92 TB - 2.5" (in 3.5" carrier) - SAS 24Gb/s - for PowerEdge T440, T440 Tailor Made