It's time to revisit those quirky folks in Palo Alto. I know; there are a lot of quirky folks in Palo Alto. But I mean the software guys at Voltage Security. I say "quirky" because they stand the usual paradigm (use security to protect your identity data) on its head by using your identity data to provide security. For years they've peddled an innovative, very easy to use (i.e., no PKI involved!) security system for e-mail called SecureMail. Now they're extending that security to all of your documents with SecureFile. They claim it's the first security software that protects information by encrypting any file format, wherever it goes and however it is transported.

SecureFile is powered by Voltage’s Identity-Based Encryption (IBE), which the company claims is the easiest to use, fastest to deploy - and simplest to administer - encryption product on the market today. I’ve seen it in action and I’ll say that if it isn’t all of those things, it’s really, really close.

SecureFile protects files anywhere, anytime – regardless of their location.

Specifically, according to Wasim Ahmad, vice president of marketing at Voltage, SecureFile offers:
* Persistent information encryption for desktop files, batch files and documents – regardless of where they're located.
* Encryption of files within Web collaboration portals, and continued protection of those files even when they exit the portal.
* Integration with collaboration group policies – ensuring dynamic access rights remain fully enforced.
* Integration with Microsoft Office 2007 - providing in-place document encryption leveraging Microsoft IRM (Information Rights Management), enabling you to create a persistent set of access controls that live with the content, rather than a specific network location.

The company claims that SecureFile is the first and only file encryption solution powered by a managed security service, the Voltage Security Network (VSN). It also claims that - unlike competitive offerings that have complex key management or password management schemes, or are limited to securing certain file types, transport mechanisms or file locations - Voltage SecureFile is easy to use with any file, no matter where it goes or how it gets there.

If you’re unfamiliar with Voltage’s Identity-based Encryption, there’s a good explanation on Voltage’s Web site as well as more about the new SecureFile offering. Check it out.

Dave Kearns is a consultant and editor of IdM, the Journal of Identity Management.