In Plain Sight: Why Is Less Data Being Encrypted?
enterprise times, Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
Data security has become a priority for companies of all shapes and sizes. It ranges from major headline-breaking breaches affecting Boeing, Sony, Apple, Meta and Twitter in 2023 to estimates that as many as 60% of SMEs that suffer a cyber-attack will go out of business within six months. It shows that the importance of preparedness in combatting threats and protecting data has never been greater.
A critical piece of this puzzle is encryption. It is defined as the process through which data is encoded to ensure it remains inaccessible to unauthorised users. It's a technique that plays a critical role in maintaining the integrity of private or sensitive information.
In terms of putting this into practice, there are two key avenues to consider: software encryption and hardware encryption.
Software encryption relies on computing programs to encrypt data and, generally, uses passwords to authenticate users. The BitLocker drive encryption feature of Microsoft Windows is a good example of this.