Best in class firms use intelligent encryption for data protection

Its research indicates that nearly twice as many best-in-class manufacturers currently use a centrally managed, policy- and file-based encryption strategy, not full-disk encryption technology. Credant, which specialises in mobile data protection, says that its own market research mirrors Aberdeen’s study, demonstrating the value of the approach in guarding against data loss, while also ensuring high levels of business productivity. “Our study indicated that the highest risk of data leakage is related to the end points, or to the behaviour of the end-users at the end points,” says Derek Brink, vice president and research fellow for IT security at Aberdeen Group. “Among organisations with top performance, the most effective strategies for preventing data loss include a combination of enabling technologies, including data discovery and classification, data monitoring and filtering, and encryption of data in use at the end points.” Credant senior vice president and chief marketing officer Michael Callahan adds: “The Aberdeen study points out that while the top performing companies have achieved significantly better performance at protecting against malicious data loss incidents, their greatest challenge remains in preventing data loss caused by simple human error and by well-meaning employees trying to carry out their jobs. “Policy-based, data-centric encryption protects against both types of threats in a single solution – and is the leading approach taken for encryption as validated by this independent study.”