Are self-encrypting drives worth it?

 

With the number of network intrusions showing few signs of slacking off, organizations are looking at new ways of securing the enterprise. One is using self-encrypting hard drives.

It doesn’t help that the recent — and continuing — disclosures by former CIA and NSA contract worker turned whistleblower Edward Snowden, who revealed secret communications data gathering programs in the United States and Britain, have contributed to fears that governments may be assembling datasets for possible investigations.

So, as Serdar Yegulalp writes for Network Computing, self-encrypting hard drives are even more tempting.

But think twice before doing it, he advises.
(Graphic from Shutterstock)

It’s not that this technology doesn’t belong in a security professional’s toolkit. But, he says, they should know why and when to use it.

He’s come up with six reasons why SEDs aren’t an automatic entry on your to-do list, including the fact that some products have problems.

Once study he quotes — done two years ago before the Snowden angst — notes that the single biggest reason for using SEDs at the time was for regulatory reasons, not to cut down on the risk of a data breach.

Worth considering.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Howard Solomon
Howard Solomon
Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times. I can be reached at hsolomon [@] soloreporter.com

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now