According to Accenture, 68% of business leaders feel their cybersecurity risks are increasing, and they’re not wrong. When encryption is discussed, one of its high points that business professionals try to hammer home is that it’s more secure. While encryption is a hot topic, we consistently get asked by our clients, “what is encryption and why do we need it?” We know that individuals wonder what encryption really means for businesses and if it adequately protects data and devices. We’ll walk you through a brief rundown of how encryption works and the role it plays in keeping your business secure.
What is Encryption?
Encryption is a security measure that is designed to help you keep your data safe on the off chance that it’s ever stolen or accessed by hackers. If a hacker has access to the file, then they can use all of the data within it, which could be detrimental. With cyberattacks and data disasters on the rise, encryption removes this weakness factor by scrambling the data in a way that renders it unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key. This effectively makes the data useless, as high-quality encryption can take insane amounts of time and processing power to crack.
One technology solution that uses encryption particularly well is a Virtual Private Network, also known as a VPN. A VPN can be used by your employees to securely access your network across an Internet connection, no matter their location. It’s like a bridge between the employee’s device and your data. Imagine that there is a clear tube connecting your infrastructure to the employee device; any onlooker will be able to see the contents. Encryption makes it so that it’s more opaque, or less clear, making it more difficult for hackers to steal your data while it’s in transit.
If you don’t already have a VPN, it may be time to consider getting one for your business. We have many blogs regarding the VPN topic if you would like more information. If you decide you want to move forward with a VPN, we can also help you implement one.
Why is Encryption Important? Why Do You Need it?
Considering how important security is in today’s data-driven environment, you need to take any and all precautions possible to ensure your organization isn’t at risk. However, it isn’t your job to have to be looking over your business’ data at all times or be worrying about your cybersecurity, that is why having an MSP can be so useful. Encryption in particular is important because it’s a fail-safe that protects your data should a hacker somehow acquire it. With this in mind, you need to take preventative measures now while you still can. Remember, as long as your data can be stolen in a readable state, hackers will seek it out, so take matters into your own hands now to prevent a catastrophe in the future.
Symmetric IT Group can help your organization secure its data with encryption. We can walk you through what your business needs to be protected and the steps we can help you take towards implementing encryption into your business. To learn more, reach out to us at (813) 749-0895 and check out our information security page.
