The Travelstar 7K200 uses Hitachi's Bulk Data Encryption technology to guard against data loss should the notebook go missing, a frequent and increasingly embarrassing occurrence for a string of high-profile victims.
An NHS laptop containing the payroll data of 10,000 staff was stolen from the NHS payroll headquarters in Cornwall in the early hours of 1 May.
Two weeks previously, a laptop belonging to Marks & Spencer was stolen from a printer's premises in a burglary on 18 April. It contained the names, home addresses, salary details and National Insurance numbers of 26,000 M&S staff.
Other high-profile victims this year include the parent company of retailer TK Maxx, Nationwide and even the Metropolitan Police. In fact, according to a recent survey, over half of UK companies admit to losing a laptop in the past 12 months.
Security experts have stated that hard drive-level data encryption is the simplest way to mitigate such losses.