Encryption Technology Enhances Protection of Data

PGP Corporation, an international provider of protection for enterprise data, announced the results of Aberdeen Group's research, which shows that encrypting sensitive data increases its protection and reduces its vulnerability to security breach.

The encryption technology or the process of scrambling information is a vital security program. It helps to create a safe communication passage even if the system or the related network to which it is connected is not adequately secured. A secure communication channel is particularly necessary when data crosses systems within LAN (Local Area Network) or segmented networks where the information is accessible to many people. In such situations, it is important to encrypt sensitive data, especially passwords, so that there is no unintended disclosure or changes to the data.

The latest research by Aberdeen Group found that among the organizations it surveyed, 20% of the high ranking ones had moved ahead significantly in protecting data than what they had achieved one year back.

Using the poll results, the group also found that 825 of responding firms were able to bring down the number of incidents of security breach with the application of primary management policies and certainly consistent encryption. A further 72% of respondents said that they improved their conditions for reliable data access by bringing down mishandling of encryption keys.

The research therefore summarized that such progressive-thinking enterprises had 1.6 times additional chances of adopting a policy of key management and encryption across the enterprise with the goal to protect data.

The Vice President and Research Director of IT security at Aberdeen Group and the developer of the research, Derek Brink, said that adopting key management and encryption policies strategically enabled organizations to enhance the safety of data and their efficient use. Vnunet published this in news on October 24, 2007.

The trend that the 'best-in-class' organizations establish is a comprehensive approach to encrypt data instead of individual or specific applications.

Aberdeen Group's study for PGP also revealed that the 'best-in-class' organizations had 1.7 times extra chances to secure data by focusing on data itself rather than depending on network security. This method of protection is called Enterprise Data Protection.

Related article: Encryption Key for Wireless Keyboards Cracked

» SPAMfighter News - 11/12/2007