How encryption can help startups in protecting their data

The deployment of encryption in modern businesses does not only guarantee hundred percent security but it also reduces the surface of attack.

Data protection has become the top objective for many businesses in the world today. Especially after the ransomware incident, hacked credit card databases and the Apple leak. Businesses are scratching their heads in anticipation of what could hit them next?

It is a brilliant idea from the executives to prioritize data protection over everything. Nonetheless, it is equally difficult to harmonize security processes across several systems and devices. Even the most cautious and watchful business owners can leave out data unprotected.

Encryption is highly regarded as one of the best-sought solutions for this problem. The deployment of encryption in computers, cloud systems, mobile phones and other business avenues does not only guarantee hundred percent security but it also substantially eliminates the potential of being attacked and incurring financial loss.

How does encryption work?

Creating a synergy with other security measures, encryption secures the data and its trafficking to other parties. After being encrypted, a file becomes impossible to crack or decipher, and it becomes difficult to break into sensitive or valuable business information.

How can business owners encrypt their company’s data?

As a responsible and clever business owner, you must place a high emphasis on data breaches and financial losses, and this can only be achieved by employing complete encryption of devices and network. Encryption can be implemented and help in the following areas for protection of your valuable data:

• Wi-Fi Hotspots

A laptop acts as a blessing when traveling and you require access to company files, but using an unsecured Wi-Fi public hotspot can backfire pretty badly and make you vulnerable to attacks.

• Emails

With email becoming the standard medium for the exchange of sensitive information, it is equally important to keep the process encrypted to avoid losing information to data thieves. All businesses should engage in premium level encryption to protect their data, irrespective of whether probable hackers possess physical access to computers or not.

• Passwords

Your password is an essential element of encryption. To make the password hack-proof, make it long; 10 or more characters is advisable. The code should consist both upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. It is recommended to keep separate passwords for each system and device, and document them in a safe place if remembering them is a hard job to do.

• Cloud

Despite its attractiveness such as affordability, convenience, and sharing, Cloud Storage solutions are quite vulnerable to external attacks. Dropbox and other big names in the Cloud storage scene offer built-in data encryption of your data stored on their servers. But, the point to be highlighted here is that they also hold the decryption keys, which, in certain situations might be used to access your stored information. There are many products which give an extra protection layer to cloud storage locations.

• Search Engines

Like it or not, Google, Yahoo, and other search engines will catalog every search you perform on the internet. Your online web search choices are then attached to your computer’s IP address and are subsequently used to customize the advertising and searches for your machine. This cataloging might seem unobtrusive and perhaps even useful, but it is also a risk for future public embarrassment and social faux pas. Don’t let these search engines store your searches for ‘anti-depressants,’ ‘love advice,’ ‘divorce lawyers,’ and ‘anger management’. To avoid it, a VPN browser can help you cloak your IP address so you can keep your private searches private. If you are connected to a VPN, your online traffic is redirected to a 3rd party server, which encrypts the information.

• USB and External Drives

Portable data storage and plug and play devices sure are useful, but attached with it are the theft/loss strings. Gladly, products such as BitLocker To Go, helps keep portable storage drives encrypted when fallen into the wrong hands.

A password to open a company PC would be useless if one can get away with the hard disk. All it would require is, to connect the hard drive to another system and alas, access to all the data right in front. To avoid this mishap, Microsoft BitLocker software for Ultimate Windows 7 or Vista (or the Enterprise or Pro Windows 8), that offers complete hard drives encryption. To turn on the feature, just go to Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption.

In a Nutshell…

Guarding your sensitive information against theft and vulnerability isn’t a tough task in today’s digital world, particularly with the progressive adoption of cloud computing. The fact of the matter is, despite all the security measures, sometimes, hackers and cyber criminals still can find their way through a company’s or individual’s system, making it vulnerable to date theft or data leakage.

For that reason, it is said to consider prudently what (and when) you want to save on the cloud, and consult with a professional cloud services provider to find out what encryption level suits you best.

In the modern business environment, which is increasingly depending upon on computers and cloud-based storage, nothing is or at least should be, dearer to you than a rock-solid encryption strategy which can ensure your long-term safety and success.

About Author: Anas Baig

Anas Baig is a Cyber Security Expert, a computer science graduate specializing in internet security, science, and technology. Also, a Security Professional with a passion for robots & IoT devices. Follow him on Twitter

Follow him on Twitter @anasbaigdm, or email him directly by clicking here.

 

 

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Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – encryption, hacking)

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