The Essentials of Encryption

Jorge Flores

“The ability to spread knowledge and inspire action are two of man’s greatest gifts” -Unknown

Welcome to the third installment of my data breach prevention/PCI compliance Tip of the Week blog series!

Recently, a very large software company has come under fire after discovering a data breach in one of its servers in India. The dissent this particular breach event has drawn is not rooted in how the attack was carried out, but in the lack of data security on those servers. The customer information that was taken in the data breach was stored in plain text. Sensitive customer information (including identifying and password information) was not encrypted. This company is not alone. The sad truth is that as more and more data breaches occur, the inadequate security measures of several companies in regard to customer data protection are being exposed.

Fittingly, the data breach prevention/PCI compliance tip of the Week is...

Encrypt Your Sensitive Data

In terms of preventing a data breach and ensuring PCI compliance at your organization, encrypting your sensitive information is the most basic and important security measure you can take. Encryption is the process of “scrambling” sensitive information so that the only people who can read it are those with the “key." There is a multitude of software options you can utilize that will successfully do this for you. Data encryption is also a great step to undertake on your way to achieving PCI compliance. A great way to ensure that your data is securely encrypted is by utilizing managed security services.

Remember:  Your customers drive your business. Data encryption is essential to any business owner to protect customer information and the company's intellectual property.