Encryption has been a big topic for the past few years. Encryption has been around for years, though it has only recently gained attention in the public eye. Security concerns and the needs vs the right to privacy have propelled this topic. I won’t weigh on on the politics of encryption…there are plenty of people ready to give their opinion on the matter. Rather, I would simply like to explain what it is, how it works, and why you might want to consider encryption as part of your business practice.
Encryption is simply a means of scrambling and coding a file, folder, volume, drive, or entire computer in such a way that it is completely illegible by anyone (and I mean anyone) without a key to unlock the data. It sounds simple enough, and it is. But unlike other passwords used in the past, such as Windows passwords to log in to a computer, these encryption schemes are unhackable. Entering the correct password set up when initially encrypting the content will temporarily decrypt it for use. Without the correct password, the content is completely unusable in any way.
This can be both a good and bad thing. It’s great for security. It means no unauthorized persons will be able to access encrypted content. The potential bad side is that, through carelessness, a user can lock themselves out of their own content (and I have seen this). When setting up encryption on any data, it is vitally important to document the password in a safe, secure place. Quite often encryption is a greater threat than the possibility of unauthorized access. Encryption is detrimental if the intended user(s) can no longer access the data. Therefore, encryption must be carefully planned, implemented, and documented.
Encryption Can Be Easy
If you’re using a Windows computer or any Apple device, the process of encrypting is very simple. There are users who simply do not have much (if any) data on their computer. They use their devices for simple tasks such as checking email, printing, and browsing the internet. As such, they may not have such a need for privacy or locking up important data.
However, computers sometimes store small amounts of data such as passwords and browsing history that a user may not accessible to others. Remember, encryption is useful any time even the smallest amount of privacy might be desired. If sensitive data belonging to clients, customers, and vendors, resides in the computer, then the case for privacy becomes convincing. Tempered with common sense and safe precautions, encryption assures content does not fall in to the hands of unintended parties.
There are many levels of encryption, from a file or folder all the way up to an entire disk. So you can decide whether to encrypt a file, many files, an entire folder, several folders, or the entire drive. I usually choose to encrypt the entire drive…it’s just much simpler this way and only one password/key to have to manage.
I consider the biggest case for safeguarding data, beyond devices with highly sensitive information, to be mobile devices…laptops, tablets, and phones. These devices are transported many places and, thus, are much more likely to be lost or stolen. For that reason, I consider it paramount to encrypt these devices. With bio-metric readers on more devices, it is easy to unlock these devices without entering a password. However, this is not a replacement for remembering passwords…you must always have your password when needed.