Simple, cost effective encryption comes to the fore

Touted as one of the most effective data security measures that can be taken, encryption is beginning to take an increasingly fundamental role in everyday life, with this type of technology becoming both more of a necessity as well as easier to use.

Encryption can be defined as the process of using cryptography, which uses mathematical algorithms to translate data into an unreadable format that can only be properly deciphered with a specific cryptographic key or inverse algorithm process, which permits the authentication and verification of a sender. Essentially, cryptography not only conceals information, it also ensures the privacy and integrity of information.

The simple reality is that information - which is now an organisation's most valuable asset - is the driving power behind businesses today. We have moved away from static, safer work environments with a PC in an office, to the increased use of laptops, mobile phones and USB sticks. With increasing levels of mobility, while we may be working smarter, the information we are using is becoming more and more accessible.

Research done in the UK at the end of 2006 showed that only 5% of the world's PC installed base is encrypted, totalling around 24 million devices. However, while recent desktop PC sales have been relatively flat, mobile device numbers have skyrocketed at 13.6% growth this year over the first quarter of 2007, according to Gartner.

Unfortunately, the move towards a more mobile lifestyle comes with its own issues. In a recent UK-based survey that looked at items left in black cabs in London, it was found that 55 000 mobile phones, 5 000 handheld computers, 3 000 laptops and more than 1 000 USB drives were left in taxis across 2006.

The same research repeated during the first half of 2008 found that the figures for the first part of the year were already greater than 2006 in total, with more than 56 000 phones and 6 000 devices, including laptops, forgotten in cabs. In addition, a study conducted at three UK-based airports last year found that 8 500 mobile devices, including 400 laptops and 2 500 mobiles, had been left behind by passengers.

With so few devices across the globe being encrypted, the loss, not only of the hardware itself but, more importantly, of the data residing on these machines, is being felt all the more keenly by both businesses and individuals.

In the past, the adoption of encryption has been hampered by the use of the complex cryptographic key management process mentioned earlier. However, the technology has evolved to such an extent that nowadays it is far simpler to use, thanks to automation.

Encryption is also swiftly becoming a companion to additional security measures such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), where encryption is used to reduce security risks by locking out thieves, protecting against lost or stolen equipment and regulating access rights.

The combination of disk and removable device encryption with DLP covers all the critical data loss vectors organisations must deal with, whether it's device loss or theft, or inadvertent or malicious misuse of sensitive data.