What is encryption, and why does it matter to your company? Let’s dive in.
Encryption is a way of securing data through the use of encoding. One of the best examples to understand how encryption works is how it used to work in ancient times before computers were even an idea blossoming in the minds of inventors. Think about it in terms of a document containing sensitive information. It might have this information hidden in plain sight, requiring the use of a cypher and its key to find. The key would only be known to the receiving party, meaning that anyone trying to intercept the message would not know the true contents of the message unless they too knew how to decode the cypher protecting the message.
Encryption in a more modern sense is kind of like looking through a kaleidoscope. What you see is still there, but it’s all jumbled up and doesn’t make much sense. The decryption key allows you to see the true picture rather than a scrambled mess. The decryption key is something that only permitted devices or accounts should have access to, effectively keeping data private between the sender and recipient while leaving any who try to intercept the data out of luck. As you can imagine, encryption has grown more complex and secure alongside major advancements in technology to the point where even a small business can effectively leverage military-grade encryption technologies.
So, where can you use encryption? Just about anywhere your organization needs to secure data. Most businesses opt to use a virtual private network which keeps data transfer private and secure while out of the office, and just about all security systems run on the premise of locking down files using encryption of some sort. Encryption is even used on many websites that accept online payments or those that are associated with sensitive or personal information, all in the efforts to protect the user and the organization. In many cases, encrypting this kind of data not only helps with compliance, but might be necessary in order to guarantee that it stays safe.
You can see how encryption is great for users when it is used to secure data, but how much of a nightmare it can be when leveraged against you. In the case of ransomware, the data on the user’s system is encrypted, meaning the user cannot access it until the decryption key is received. This is why so many companies are in a bind when suffering from a ransomware attack; it is simply too hard to crack modern encryption without the encryption key. But this bane of businesses is also a major strength, if you can effectively implement it for your company.
There can be no doubt; encryption plays a critical role in keeping your company safe and compliant. Aspire can help your business set up encryption that can keep your company safe, be it in the form of a VPN or other security solutions. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (469) 7-ASPIRE.
