By Stephen Cobb
Network World, 7/7/97

Before deploying any type of encryption you need to understand your data scrambling motives. First, there is the issue of keeping costs from piling up. You shell out for the software. Then you take performance hits, get inconvenienced plus pay increased overhead for key management and user support.

Furthermore, encryption is open to abuse, especially if you suddenly find yourself with no way to override a user s password and get into a case of data ransoming.

Despite these costs and potential abuses, many security experts think you should bite the bullet and encrypt anyway because the options of storing unencrypted confidential data or transmitting sensitive information in the clear is too risky. The basis for this just-do-it attitude is the fact that other security measures are unlikely to be infallible. For example, you cannot rely 100% on authentication and login procedures, firewalls, or even physical defenses.

So, if you are serious about maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of your data, encryption should be the last line of defense against hackers who break into your internal networks. But when you are sending data over the wide open Internet encryption can be your first and only defense.

Once you understand your motices you can take advantage of several fortunate trends now shaping the market. For instance, the market for encryption products is getting broader and more competitive. Software is becoming more affordable, functionality is expanding and interfaces are improving. Whats more is the vendor trend of stuffing multiple encryption algorithms in a single program and letting the user choose which one to employ. This is partly a response to the U.S. government's restrictions on the export of strong encryption, but for users in the U.S. it provides an added degree of flexibility.

Also, some products are now addressing the needs of network managers to control and oversee the use of encryption, which brings down the cost of administration.

Understanding your motives will help you pick the right package.