Self-Encryption Gains Popularity
hertao.com
With the threat of data breaches keeping IT departments jumping, hoping to avoid their own Epsilon debacle, and the cost of data breaches easily approaching millions of dollars per incident, companies and individuals are looking for cost-effective and reliable ways to protect confidential data.
Those who hold true to the adage if you want it done right, do it yourself are jumping on the self-encryption bandwagon. Reflecting that trend, the Ponemon Institute released a study today that found self-encrypting drives are thought to widely enhance security.
The research, titled Perceptions about Self-Encrypting Drives: A Study of IT Practitioners, surveyed 517 IT professionals. More than 82 percent reported their companies had experienced a data breach. The breach encouraged them to look into security alternatives.
While software-based encryption is effective, it can bog the system down and frustrate the user. Ponemon’s research found 40 percent of employees turn off software encryption programs without notifying the IT department, leaving data unprotected and the company vulnerable to attack.
SEDs automatically and regularly encrypt data in the drive. Of the IT professionals surveyed, 64 percent said SEDs had a faster setup time and 59 percent said the SEDs enhanced scalability for use in multidrive systems.
“While self-encrypting drives are a new technology, the IT staff we interviewed believed they are more secure than software-based encryption,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. “And it’s apparent that complying with the increasing number of state and federal data protection mandates is driving encryption and interest in SEDs.”
Dr. Ponemon will be discussing the details of his study and findings May 10 at 1 p.m. in a free webcast.
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