Encryption has a long history dating back to when the ancient Greeks and Romans sent secret messages by substituting letters only decipherable with a secret key (cipher).
Since only the intended recipient of the message knew the cipher, it would be difficult for the next person to decode the message, as it would appear as gibberish.
In today’s world there is an unprecedented level of data traffic between individuals and the Cloud, and with increased fines for failing to protect users’ information sufficiently, there’s now a greater need for encryption than ever before.
Today’s encryption methods are simple yet sophisticated, and the premise remains exactly the same – only the people with the encryption key (the cipher) can access your data in a readable format.
WHAT IS ESET ENCRYPTION?
ESET Encryption is a service that encrypts and decrypts your data, allowing it to sit on your machine in the encrypted format. ESET Encryption is compatible with numerous different programs and devices; there is a version specifically for mobile for example. There are numerous other functionalities too:
- An Outlook plugin that enables encryption of all your emails and their attachments
- Removable media encryption
- Text and clipboard encryption
- Secure file deletion
- Full disk encryption
- A centralised management portal
HOW DOES IT WORK?
When ESET Encryption is installed on a machine, an encryption key file is placed on the computer. This key is what allows you to access your data in a decrypted format. If somebody were to access your data from a different machine, their machine would not have that encryption key file and therefore the data would appear in an encrypted format.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE USER?
ESET Encryption has very little impact on the user experience. If you opt for Full Disk Encryption, you’re required to enter a pre-boot encryption key. This decrypts your data, enabling you to read it as usual. ESET Encryption, as with all ESET products, has very low resource usage. This means that it does not take up huge amounts of space on your machine and it does not slow your machine down.
ESET ENCRYPTION AND GDPR COMPLIANCE
The GDPR regulation states that a data breach must be reported to the people affected by the breach unless the data controller ‘has implemented appropriate technical and organisational protection measures … such as encryption’.
This means that if your organisation suffers a data breach, but the data is encrypted, it’s no longer considered as high risk to the rights and freedoms of people. So, it lessens the severity of the breach and reduces the possibility of fines.
GDPR is a far-reaching regulation, beyond any single product. However, with ESET Encryption you can take an important step towards compliance as it’s one of the ICO’s recommended ways of protecting the data you hold.
ESET make encryption a simple process to undertake, but it will make a huge amount of difference if you do suffer a data breach.
DOES THIS COME WITH A MANAGED SERVICE PACKAGE?
Yes, it does! alphatech’s managed service packages include ESET Encryption and it’ll be fully set up and maintained by our in-house technical support team.