The Importance of Encryption

The use of multiple security strategies to protect sensitive data and personal information is a key element of data protection for any business. Not only does a comprehensive strategy help meet compliance requirements, but it also prevents the acquisition of information by unauthorized users outside of the organization. Encryption is a sophisticated way to add a layer of protection to business operations that should be included in any data security strategy.

What is encryption, and how does it work?

Encryption uses an algorithm to scramble, or encrypt, data and then uses a key for the receiving party to unscramble, or decrypt, the information. The message contained in an encrypted message is referred to as plaintext. In its encrypted, unreadable form it is referred to as ciphertext. There are many types of algorithms, which all involve different ways of scrambling and then decrypting information.

Choosing an encryption solution

For businesses looking to implement encryption to increase the level of security around data, there are several potential concerns to consider, including:

• How are encryption keys managed? Are they secured so that they can’t be accessed by unauthorized users?

• Is encryption authorization controlled independently from access to the underlying data?

• Does the encryption algorithm produce strong ciphertexts that are difficult to decrypt?

• Is a third-party solution affordable, easy to implement, and user friendly?

Encrypting data at rest and in motion

It’s important to ensure proper encryption of data both at rest and in motion. Data at rest is commonly encrypted using an industry-standard AES-256 encryption. For data in motion between your AWS workload and users, data-centers, or on-premise, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol is recommended.

To learn more about the importance of encryption and how it can protect your data, please visit the Cloudnexa website, or dig deeper with The importance of encryption and how AWS can help from AWS.