Encryption: For authorized users only

The first encryption methods appeared almost immediately after the emergence of writing. Ancient masters of cryptography deliberately missed out letters or substituted them with other symbols in their messages to make them unreadable to third parties. Thousands of years later, ways of storing and transmitting data have changed – and so have encryption methods and potential audiences. Modern data protection, especially involving encryption, is relevant to all those who deal with confidential information, and particularly businesses.

Storing information in digital formats makes it easier to process – but also makes it much more vulnerable to theft. Today, one malicious program received via email from a suspicious source is enough to steal company secrets. Having penetrated the company IT infrastructure, this program collects all the information requested and sends it to a server specified by cybercriminals. As a result, corporate espionage has become a popular method of unethical competition in the business world. A survey by B2B International in July 2012 showed that 24% of respondents named corporate espionage among the top three threats to their company.

Encryption can help to protect corporate data from espionage and malware. Modern technologies can restrict unauthorized access to confidential information or seriously impede its use if it should fall into the wrong hands as a result of theft or leakage. There are two basic encryption methods: File and Folder Level Encryption (FLE) and Full Disk Encryption (FDE). In the first case, encryption protects individual files and folders while in the second case the protection is provided for the entire hard drive – which is useful, for example, if the drive is lost or stolen. Another survey by B2B International in November 2012, demonstrates that currently only 39% of companies worldwide use FLE whereas FDE is utilized by 36% of respondents. At the same time, researchers have noted a positive trend: almost a quarter of companies are planning to deploy encryption technology in 2013.

Kaspersky Lab specialists realize the necessity of encryption for corporate data protection. Our new platform, Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business, offers both FLE and FDE technologies. In combination with the centralized protection management provided by Kaspersky Security Center, it makes it possible to set flexible data encryption rules depending on company requirements. Automatic encryption of files and the content of external devices connected to the computer enable company IT staff to achieve full confidentiality. Employees can edit the encrypted document, send it by email or copy it to a removable device – the contents of the file will still be reliably protected regardless of their actions.

Further reading: FLE and FDE encryption technologies from Kaspersky Lab

Register and download the whitepaper on how to protect business data in a mobile environment, with tips and data from Kaspersky Lab and independent IDC analysts here.