Forward-looking: Due to the global pandemic, people have become more preoccupied with keeping everything clean to protect themselves and their loved ones from unwanted microbial agents. Now, thanks to Verbatim and Microban, even your USB drives will be kept clean with antimicrobial technology.

USB drives is a common method to transfer data from one device to another because it's simple, affordable and effective. It's also portable, which comes with some potential hygiene issues as they go from hand to hand, transporting microbial if not disinfected. And even if disinfected regularly, bacteria can still grow between clean-ups, potentially endangering your health if not taken care of – at least in the times we live today, it's the kind of thing that worries more people than ever before.

To solve this, Verbatim has partnered up with Microban, a company focused on developing products for the antimicrobial, odor control, and sanitization/disinfection markets. Integrating Microban technology into the casing of Verbatim USB drives, microbial growth is limited by "disrupting the vital life processes and biological functions that enable proliferation and reproduction," with no interaction from the user. Moreover, Microban's technology can't be removed, protecting your USB drive during its lifetime.

"Microban is the brand leader of antimicrobial products and, considering the portable and exchangeable nature of USB drives, I found this partnership to be a natural fit," stated Matthew Toms, product manager of flash memory products at Verbatim. "Given the choice between an ordinary USB drive and one that is treated with Microban technology, it is a no-brainer to choose the protected product that offers customers that extra peace of mind as they return to schools and offices after the pandemic."

In the wake of the pandemic, Verbatim plans to start manufacturing its antimicrobial USB drives in the coming months. It's unclear if Verbatim will feature Microban's technology in selected USB drives or if it will integrate it across their entire USB drive lineup.