The proliferation of cyber attacks has led Encryption as a Service —component cryptography—to become critical in the effort to safeguard sensitive data and intellectual assets of enterprises. 

FREMONT, CA: Not too long ago, enterprises used to keep their business data in paper ledgers. The only way one would get hacked is if someone physically plucked files from the records room. Things are very different now! Business data is kept on computers, but it is all at risk. A reliable business needs adequate data security to operate in full working order regardless of its size and the services they offer. This top-priority data protection includes guarding the integrity and confidentiality of data and making it available at the time of need. To this end, Encryption as a Service (EaaS) can improve the cybersecurity posture of an enterprise.

In encryption, the data is converted into a form that cannot be understood by unauthorized users. The only way to access this data is by processing the key that decrypts it and turns it into the original form. Whether the enterprise is subject to stringent cybersecurity regulatory requirements or looking to strengthen the security, EaaS is an effective way to protect sensitive data both at rest and in transit. EaaS will be a proactive step in turning over the complexity of data encryption to a team of experts. For businesses who are serious about protecting their data, and keeping their business up and running, here are the four reasons why they must invest in EaaS.  

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EaaS make data encryption a simple, pay-as-you-go service the customer purchases from their cloud provider. This approach can offer customers who lack resources to manage encryption their own with a provision to address compliance risks and protect data. Its offerings may include full-disk encryption, database encryption, or file encryption.

Regardless of an enterprise own servers or work with one of the primary cloud provider, EaaS is solution agnostic. This means that irrespective of the platform that an enterprise is using to store the data, the provider will still be able to provide encryption technologies. A solution agnostic provider ensures enterprises stay properly encrypted as the business grows and the needs change.

Today it has become hard to go more than a week without hearing about another massive data breach. But many of these incidents have been prevented with more robust encryption measures. Hackers and cybercriminals can use unencrypted customer financial data to commit identity theft and steal information and money. They can even use this information to commit other crimes under a false identity. Proper encryption offers additional protection that can protect customer data also if there is a chance for a breach to occur.

Aside from providing robust data encryption process, EaaS hardens user authentication methods. Enterprises are utilizing multi-factor authentication as a way to stay away from hackers from infiltrating their networks. Multi-factor authentication demands users to log in with at least two layers of authentications. This additional layer of protection in tandem with EaaS can significantly improve an enterprise's security posture.

As recent surveys state, cybercrimes and attacks are on the rise, and there are no silver bullets in IT security. If an enterprise realizes the value of its data and understands how it flows through the business, putting an encryption strategy in place is a no-brainer. Understanding, carefully planning and investing in EaaS, enterprises can navigate the variety of enterprise encryption options at their disposal and stay ahead of cyber threats while reducing complexity and compliance costs. It's high time for enterprises to pull up socks and invest in EaaS at the earliest.