Seagate announced their DriveTrust technology a while back, which enables a disk to encrypt all data stored on it with keys stored in hardware, rather than software. They've found a partner to begin distribution, and soon ASI will begin selling notebooks that come sporting these drives. The drives are considered a step up above existing encryption methods for hard drives, which often include encrypting the data using software. Supposedly, this makes it more difficult to retrieve data from it should the disk itself be stolen:
Seagate's FDE puts all security keys and cryptographic operations on the drive, separating them from the operating system to provide greater protection against hacking and tampering than traditional software alternatives, which can give thieves backdoor access to encryption keys. Seagate's FDE eliminates disc initialization and configuration required by encryption software, and allows hard drive data to be erased instantly so the drive can be redeployed.
Everybody loves protecting their data, or at least businesses and government agencies do. With the value of information exponentially increasing and the ease of transporting and transferring vast quantities of it, businesses are always looking for ways to better ensure their data can't be stolen. In the U.S., the Government is required to encrypt data on mobile devices, making it all the more important.