Victorinox Decide to Back Out of USB Security on their Swiss Army Knives

It’s not every day that a large manufacturer completely abandons a feature of a product, but that’s exactly what Victorinox the top Swiss Army Knife brand are doing in their latest move. The large online retailer of multi tools in the UK, Multitools.co.uk delve into the story to see if this is the best move for the prestigious manufacturer.

There is always going to be a lot of controversy around a topic like this; most of the opinions will be split between like-minded businesses who understand the pressure and people who have bought the product in question.

The products that will be affected are the Victorinox multi-tools that feature a USB drive with security features. Whilst the USB stick will still work as a data storage device, any previous security provided by Victorinox’s VeriSign software will no longer work after September 15th. The manufacturer will continue to bring out knives with USB attachments however security software will be outsourced to a "third party" so that Victorinox can concentrate on their main hardware-based products.

They believe that this is the necessary action to take in order to uphold their "standards of quality" throughout their other range of products, which now include; all-purpose knives, watches and torches.

Lee Taylor, General Manager at Multitools.co.uk put his thoughts across on this situation: "It’s always unfortunate when manufacturers have to discontinue a feature or product, but usually it is for the benefit of the customer as much as the company. In this case, the discontinuation will definitely affect those who have a USB device with security as it relies on regular updates and the use of the Victorinox secure site. The security on offer ranges from encryption to a finger-print login feature which makes the stored data very hard to access if stolen or lost."

"Although this move will likely benefit Victorinox and their customers in the long, some type of compensation or re-assurance should however be given to those who own a device which is going to be affected. This will demonstrate a responsibility to its customers and would definitely be well received; but nobody knows how this situation is going to unfold just yet..."

The official statement that Victorinox released can be found on Facebook here.
MultiTools.co.uk currently operates on the new, rebranded and ever-expanding Online Home Retail Network which currently encompasses around 50 websites which sell everything from log burners and Drain rods to wash basin taps and angle grinders. Online Home Retail Limited first started out as Plumbworld Ltd back in 1999 and since then it has been bought by the Grafton Group PLC in 2006 and received a major rebrand in 2012. The business now employs 60 people in its purpose built warehouse/offices and has a total turnover nearing £25 million per year.