Backup Encryption

By: Aaron Guhl Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Data leaks are a huge concern for IT professionals today and preventing them is an ongoing process. Confidential information of employees, companies, and clients can be exposed to the public if the proper measures are not put in place. Backup encryption is a method of protecting the copies of data that are made during the backup process. Using backup encryption is crucial because it helps protect the data no matter where it ends up.

Regulations of the IT industry are getting stricter and usually require processes to report on data loss of unencrypted information. Therefore it is a must to have encryption of your backups. Many companies protect their core systems fine, but fail to protect the data that resides on their backup tapes with encryption. Because obviously the data on those tapes is the same data that is on the core system, those tapes are just as critical to protect with backup encryption than anything else. Also, many companies transport their tapes to off-site locations. This transport process can be a security risk if those backup tapes are not encrypted. Using some type of backup encryption can protect the data not matter where it is currently located.

Data loss prevention always goes hand in hand with risk management. As an IT professional, you must look at the cost of encrypting backups and the overhead cost of actually doing so. Non-confidential data doesn't need backup encryption levels as high as business critical or client/patient information does. Also, identify where the data travels to determine at which points it becomes the most exposed. If data travels outside of the network or is handled by unauthorized employees, then backup encryption is an absolute must for that data. On the other side of the spectrum you have data such as temporary files and backups operating system files that do not require encryption.

One final note, when making the move to backup encryption, it is crucial to take a look at older backups. This is one type of system upgrade where legacy information cannot be ignored. If you are upgrading to protect your data, then you must protect all of your data no matter how old it is. If there is confidential information on those old tapes such as account numbers, then that information is just as valuable to a thief as the more recent backups. Therefore you must decide to use backup encryption across the board. Backup encryption is a key part of your security solution to prevent data loss. There should be no compromises when it comes to backup encryption.

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About The Author: Aaron Guhl is an IT professional that specializes in security. He frequently writes on his blog regarding security issues to help IT professionals get a better understanding of security in their networks. Visit his website at: www.securityenablednetwork.com/2008/09/backup-tape-encryption/