Google and Yubico offering Security Key USB drives for 50% off!

Google and Yubico are partnering up to offer eligible customers a 50% discount on Yubico’s U2F Security Keys. This would bring the price down to $9, which is a significant discount over the original $18 price point. It sure is a good deal, especially when considering some companies buy these for many of their employees.

The offer is only applicable to Google for Work users, who happen to be the main target for Google’s Security Key USB thumb drives. Not sure what Security Keys are? These USB drives offer a stronger 2-step verification process that doesn’t sacrifice your precious time.

No longer do Google for Work users need to enter a password and a code sent to their smartphones every time they want to log into a secure document or account. With Security Keys, Google allows users to replace the smartphone code with hardware verification. Simply plug in a USB thumb drive into the computer and press a button when prompted. The system then recognizes your credentials and grants you access.

It’s a simple concept that also manages to keep your account secure. We all know password security is flawed in most cases, as intruders can sometimes steal your credentials with amazing ease. Not to mention, IT departments have complete control of these Security Keys. Managers can track when and where members used their Security Keys; they can also revoke the key if needed.

It’s truly a great product for those who care about security and use Google for Work. Interested customers can go to Yubico’s website and see if their Google account is supported. If it is, simply order as many Yubico U2F Security Keys as you want and go through the purchasing process as one normally would. The discount will be applied during checkout – no codes or coupons needed.

We are also not sure how long this deal will be around, so you may want to act quickly. By the way, this special edition Security Key only supports FIDO U2F. Those who need additional protocol support will have to dig deeper into the Yubico store, and this discount won’t apply then.

How many of you guys have used one of these Security Keys? Are they really as awesome as they seem? Let us know in the comments! I also have to wonder if we will ever see consumer versions of these coming to the market. I wouldn’t mind trying one of these out!