Data encryption solutions are powerful tools to protect an organization’s confidential information. For example, data encryption can safeguard communications, files, and data stored on a company’s computer systems. When properly implemented, these solutions can help prevent unwanted access to sensitive documents or networks and provide secure data transfer between two points over a network.

While every organization is different, they all need encrypting to some extent. In today’s digital world, organizations need encryption to ensure the security of their sensitive information. Data encryption is a powerful tool to protect data while it is transmitted and stored, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access and use the information in question.

Oftentimes, the best way to secure data is to use a software designed expressly for this purpose, such as WinZip® Enterprise. In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know about enterprise data encryption and why it’s important for your organization.

What is file encryption?

Encryption is the best way to protect data at any stage. Encryption is a way of transforming data into code that only specific recipients can decipher. Essentially, the information becomes manipulated into an unidentifiable format while in transit, only to become readable to the recipient once it reaches its destination.

This security measure prevents unauthorized users from being able to view, understand, and access sensitive information. Agencies, enterprises, organizations, businesses, and even individuals all have data that require safeguarding and encryption.

Without encryption, sensitive and vital information can easily become exposed. Files that need to be restricted and encrypted include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Legal documents
• Financial records and information
• Archive data
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
• Patient health information (PHI)
• Trade secrets, copyrights, and intellectual property

When organizations fail to encrypt and protect sensitive information, there can be negative consequences. When organizations leak data, it can result in the following:

• Fines
• Lawsuits
• Profit loss
• Customer dissatisfaction
• Reduced employee retention
• Public distrust

Why you need encryption to protect data at rest and data in transit

Data is considered “at rest” when it isn’t actively being used or accessed. Often, this data is stored physically and digitally on databases and computers. The term “data at rest” means the data is not actively moving through any devices or networks.

On the other hand, data in transit, also called data in motion, is a term for information moving from one location to another. This may be across the Internet, from one or more devices, or within a private network.

Data at rest and data in transit are two of the three steps in the data lifecycle. The last stage is called data in motion. Data in motion is regularly accessed for operations such as processing, updating, and viewing. Examples include your banking transaction history and data processed by computing equipment, such as a central processing unit (CPU).

Basic encryption solutions for data in transit or file transfers

There are three standard options used for encrypting file transfer data for internal to external or business-to-business transfers:

• FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure)
• SFTP encryption (SSH File Transfer Protocol)
• HTTPS (HTTP Secure)

Unfortunately, basic encryption solutions aren’t enough for the enterprise level businesses. That’s why many organizations use a program like WinZip, which features military-grade encryption. With WinZip, you can add an extra layer of protection over these standard encryption protocols.

FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure)

FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure protocol for transferring files over the internet. It works similarly to standard FTP, but adds an extra layer of encryption and authentication to protect data as it is transferred from one computer to another.

Unfortunately, amongst other things, FTPS does not provide enough robustness against man-in-the-middle attacks, also known as interception attacks, where someone can intercept and modify messages sent between users. Therefore, utilizing enterprise level software, such as WinZip, is recommended for organizations that handle sensitive data.

SFTP encryption (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

SFTP encryption, also known as SSH File Transfer Protocol, works by transferring files through an encrypted channel within an SSH protocol. This allows data to be securely exchanged between two computers.

SFTP encryption may not be ideal for enterprise security because it only encrypts data transferred over the network and does not provide end-to-end encryption. Additionally, like FTPS encryption, SFTP also doesn’t adequately protect against man in the middle attacks because it lacks user authentication.

HTTPS (HTTP Secure)

HTTPS (HTTP Secure) works by encrypting and authenticating data sent between two computers to try to ensure that information remains private and secure throughout the process.

HTTPS encryption is not considered sufficient security for enterprise-level businesses. This is because it only protects data that is sent over the web, not data and applications stored on a company’s server or computer systems. This data may be even more valuable in terms of confidential and sensitive information. Therefore, extra layers of encryption are needed on top of HTTPS encryption.

Common types of data risks at the enterprise level

Data risks are situations where organizations are negatively affected by issues or limitations related to secure data and information. Data breaches can have a catastrophic effect on an organization, both financially and reputationally.

So, what do data risks look like? Some common ways that pose a threat to an organization’s data include:

• Data breaches
• Cloud-based applications
• Human error
• Technology challenges
• Lack of data processes

The most common type of enterprise data risk is malicious attacks from outside sources. For example, hackers may gain access to sensitive information, such as customer records or financial documents. This type of attack is typically targeted at larger organizations that hold more valuable information, such as banks and retail stores.

Another common type of enterprise data risk is human error or negligence. Employees may accidentally mishandle sensitive information or neglect to follow security protocols properly. For example, they may send confidential emails or documents to the wrong person or leave their workstation unlocked while away from their desk.

Additionally, companies need to be aware of potential insider threats who may have access to an organization’s systems and databases. Insider threats can deliberately leak confidential information or sabotage operations from within the organization.

How WinZip Enterprise can help you mitigate data risks

WinZip® Enterprise protects data in transit and at rest using AES-256 encryption. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric algorithm commonly used with many different cryptographic protocols, such as TLS and S/MIME.

With this encryption, cyber attackers cannot read the encrypted data even if they access files. This ensures your data (and the data of clients or customers) is protected.

WinZip Enterprise is so much more than just an encryption tool. In addition to its industry-leading cryptography, companies that use WinZip Enterprise also leverage its data management, sharing, compression, and backup functionalities.

Your sensitive data is protected in transit, at rest, and during backups with WinZip. We also offer a variety of advanced security features, such as password protocols and reporting and analytics tools.

Discover why WZE is an industry-leading data encryption solution today!

Data in transit, also called data in motion, is data that is being transferred between two locations over the internet or a private network. When data is in transit, it moves from one location to another, such as between devices, across networks, or within a company’s on-premises or cloud-based storage, i.e., the internet.

So much of our everyday lives involve using data in transit. Some examples of data in transit that we encounter daily include:

• Sending an email
• Browsing the internet
• Sending a text
• Accessing information in cloud applications
• File sharing with coworkers

Often, the best way to keep data safe, wherever it may be, is to use encryption. Encryption is a way of transforming data into code that only specific recipients can decipher. This prevents outside unauthorized users from being able to view, understand, and access sensitive information. Agencies, enterprises, organizations, businesses, and even individuals all have data that require safeguarding.

When dealing with data in transit, enterprises often choose to encrypt the necessary data before moving or using it to protect it before it leaves its secure location. Similarly, data in use is often encrypted before traversing any external or internal networks.

Threats and vulnerabilities for data in transit

Once data leaves its source location, it is in motion and is considered vulnerable. Unfortunately, in this state, it’s susceptible to insider threats and malicious actors.

One of the most frustrating parts about the relationship between cybersecurity and data in motion is that once it leaves its network, administrators no longer have any control over the data. Therefore, the data in motion is vulnerable, rendering cybersecurity useless.

Data headed to cloud storage also isn’t foolproof. To keep data in motion safe while it’s on its way to the cloud, organizations must be sure that it doesn’t get intercepted.

Even some of the highest security organizations have had their data exposed via the cloud. For example, just last year Microsoft disclosed cloud storage misconfigurations were a major contributor to data breaches. These errors resulted in massive amounts of exposed data.

Furthermore, data sent via the internet is never safe and should always be encrypted. However, that hasn’t stopped large corporations from making simple cyber mistakes.

Clearly, data in motion can be incredibly vulnerable without the proper security and precautions. Analysis, changes to current company procedures, better encryption methods, and cyber security implementations are just some of the ways organizations can keep data in motion safe.

Encryption methods for data in transit

There are two main methods to encrypt and decrypt data in transit. These include:

• Symmetric encryption: A temporary key (like a password) that is only used once, for encrypting and decrypting data sent between two different parties.

• Asymmetric encryption: Also called public-key cryptography, it uses a pair of related keys (a public key and a private key) to encrypt and decrypt data and protect it from unauthorized access or use.

There are a few main differences between symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption:

• Asymmetric encryption is a new technique, while symmetric encryption is an old technique.

• Asymmetric encryption uses two keys (public and private) to encrypt and decrypt data. In contrast, symmetric encryption uses a single key that is shared with the people who need to access the data.

• Asymmetric encryption takes more time than symmetric encryption.

Ultimately, asymmetric encryption was created to eliminate the need to share a public key, which was needed for symmetric encryption. Therefore, asymmetric encryption is considered more secure because it uses a pair of public-private keys to encrypt and decrypt data in transit.

Examples of encrypting data in transit

As mentioned, encryption secures data to ensure that communications aren’t intercepted while data is moving between two services. Often, data in transit is encrypted before transmission, authenticated at the endpoints, decrypted on arrival, and then ensured that the data hasn’t been modified.

For example, Transport Layer Security (TLS) is often used to encrypt data in transit for transport security. This cryptographic protocol encrypts data sent over the internet to ensure that bad actors cannot see secure information.

TLS is particularly useful for private and high-risk data, like passwords, credit card information, and other personal information. In addition, companies such as Google use a secure TLS connection when sending information, such as email.

On a similar note, many companies opt to use Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) for email. While TLS encryption encrypts the communication channel, S/MIME encrypts the message sent. As a result, the two can be used simultaneously to secure channels and data more effectively.

How WinZip Enterprise can help you keep your data safe

WinZip® Enterprise protects data in transit and data at rest using AES-256 encryption. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric algorithm commonly used with many different cryptographic protocols, such as TLS and S/MIME.

With this encryption, cyber attackers cannot read the encrypted data even if they access files. This ensures your data (and the data of clients or customers) is protected.

WinZip Enterprise is so much more than just an encryption tool. In addition to its industry-leading cryptography, companies that use WinZip Enterprise also leverage its data management, sharing, compression, and backup functionalities.

Your sensitive data is protected in transit, at rest, and during backups with WinZip. We also offer a variety of advanced security features, such as password protocols and reporting and analytics tools.

Explore how WinZip Enterprise can help you encrypt files in transit today!

Data is considered “at rest” when it isn’t actively being used or accessed. Often, data at rest is stored physically and digitally on databases and computers. The term “at rest” means the data is not actively moving through any devices or networks.

Cybercriminals often target data at rest because it’s easier to acquire. That’s because when data isn’t in use, it’s more likely to be overlooked, lost, or insecure. For example, if someone is storing data on a USB drive, a hacker could easily steal the flash drive, and all information would be compromised.

For this reason, encrypting data at rest is incredibly important. Encryption is a way of transforming data into code that only specific recipients can decipher. This prevents outside, unauthorized users from being able to view, understand, and access sensitive information. Agencies, enterprises, organizations, businesses, and even individuals all have data that are in need of safeguarding.

Additionally, data at rest often consists of important and sensitive information. Database servers and cloud storage can hold large volumes of at-rest data, making them a valuable target for malicious attackers. Therefore, encrypting data at rest ensures organizations don’t become a target for hackers.

Examples of the three different data states

Data at rest is considered the first stage of the data lifecycle. The three stages of the data life cycle include:

Data at rest

As mentioned, at-rest data is stored in a device or database and is not actively moving to other devices or networks. Some examples of data at rest include information that is stored in the following ways:

• On a tablet or smartphone.
• In database servers or cloud storage.
• On a laptop or computer.
• On portable storage devices (e.g., solid-state disk drives, USB sticks, and external hard drives).

Additionally, data at rest often consists of important and sensitive information. Some examples of data at rest include:

• Electronically protected health information (ePHI)
• Financial documents
• Intellectual property
• Third-party contracts

Data in transit

Also known as data in motion, in-transit data is transported to another location, whether it moves between devices, across networks, or within a company’s on-premises or cloud-based storage.

Examples of data in transit include the transfer of data over:

• Public networks, such as the Internet.
• Private networks, such as local area networks set up for an office location.
• Local devices, such as computers, data storage devices, or other mediums.

Data in use

Data in use is regularly accessed for operations such as processing, updating, and viewing the data.

Examples of data in use include data that is:

• Stored in a memory system, database, or application, such as your banking transaction history.

• Processed by computing equipment, such as a central processing unit (CPU).

• Data that is captured by an input device (such as your keyboard), transferred to a memory device, and then processed by a CPU.

Types of threats/vulnerabilities for data at rest

Data in motion and data in use are considered to be the most vulnerable types of data. This is because these types of data are often transferred over the internet through insecure channels, such as cloud storage or third-party service providers.

These potential locations may have laxer securities policies in place than the security of the corporate networks they’re arriving from. Additionally, data in motion is often the target of man-in-the-middle (MITM). MITM cyberattacks target data as it travels.

However, while an organization’s cybersecurity often protects data at rest, it’s still at risk. Many of the biggest data breaches in the past decade have involved data at rest. Malicious outside actors and insider threats often view data at rest as a high prize. That’s because it usually contains high volumes of information they can steal in big packets.

Another reason why data at rest is vulnerable is due to employee carelessness. It’s possible that data can be lost or stolen if an unauthorized person gains access to a work computer or device. Remote working has increased this threat as employees often take home company-issued devices, leaving them vulnerable to tampering.

How to secure data at rest

Many organizations use antivirus software and firewalls to secure data at rest. However, these tactics never guarantee that data is safe from inevitable cyberattacks.

Phishing attacks are social engineering attacks on individuals that are often used to trick users into handing over data, including login credentials, credit card numbers, or secure company data. Additionally, cybersecurity or encryption software doesn’t protect sensitive company data from insider threats.

When looking to eliminate the threat of employee carelessness, organizations often implement data encryption solutions. These security measures enable companies to encrypt employee hard drives so unauthorized users can’t access them without a key.

Generally, at-rest encryption relies on symmetric cryptography. Here, the same key encrypts and decrypts the data. Symmetric cryptography is often implemented when responsiveness and speed are the top priority, usually with data at rest.

What happens if you don’t adequately protect your data at rest?

Data in all three stages of its life cycle are subject to specific industry standards and regulations. These regulations ensure that crucial information is never lost, misused, stolen, or corrupted. Some common compliance regulations include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): If your business handles cardholder data, following PCI DSS best practices can help minimize the risk of a data breach. One such practice is the encryption of data file transmissions.

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): The GDPR safeguards the privacy of EU citizens. Encryption is mentioned throughout the GDPR as a preferred method of protecting consumer data and managing the risks associated with transferring data.

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Companies in the healthcare industry use security protocols—including encryption—to meet HIPAA requirements for protecting sensitive health data.

If organizations do not comply with these regulations, they can expect to be charged high fees. For example, on average, organizations lose $5.87 million in revenue from a singular non-compliance event.

Additionally, the public often loses trust when organizations don’t successfully protect sensitive information. When organizations leak data, it can result in the following:

• Fines
• Lawsuits
• Profit loss
• Customer dissatisfaction
• Reduced employee retention
• Public distrust

How WinZip Enterprise Uses AES to Keep Your Data Safe

WinZip® Enterprise uses AES encryption keys so that you can customize your company’s level of data protection based on your specific needs. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is an encryption strategy for any business that needs high-level security measures.

You can combine AES encryption with customizable password security requirements (e.g., letters, numbers, special characters, and capitalization) to make unauthorized decryption virtually impossible.

Although the encryption process is complex, WinZip Enterprise makes it easy for users to operate. Select the encryption level you prefer, set a password, and you’re done. In addition, with the solution’s lightning-fast processors, less time is needed to encrypt large amounts of your most precious data securely.

Explore how WinZip can help your organization better encrypt files at rest today.

In today’s security climate, data that isn’t protected and encrypted isn’t safe. In 2022 alone, over 22 billion records were exposed in data breaches across the globe. For this reason, file encryption is incredibly vital to the safety and security of your organization. The best way to keep important data and information safe from hackers is to ensure all important files are encrypted.

File encryption is a way of concealing data with code that only specific recipients can decipher. This prevents unauthorized users from being able to view, understand, and access sensitive information. Agencies, enterprises, organizations, businesses, and even individuals all have data that are in need of safeguarding.

That’s why it’s so essential that specific information remain invisible to the public eye, such as national bank information or patient medical records. Personal information like this should only be accessible to the rightful administrators with restricted access.

There are many kinds of sensitive information that an organization will want or need to protect. Files that need to be restricted and encrypted include, but aren’t limited to the following:

• Legal documents
• Financial records and information
• Archived data
• Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
• Patient health information (PHI)
• Trade secrets, copyrights, and intellectual property

The aforementioned files that you may need to encrypt encompass a range of file types, including but not limited to:

• PDFs
• Excel spreadsheets
• Word documents
• Images
• Videos

3 kinds of files that you definitely want to encrypt

Ransomware, data breaches, and other adverse cybersecurity events wreak havoc on an organization’s financial health. This is why protecting sensitive data against cyber threats and data breaches is paramount. No matter how big or small a company is, they will always have some amount of valuable data that needs to be kept secure.

Some of the most common information that organizations work to encrypt and protect includes:

HR Data

Unless you are a sole proprietor or business owner, organizations often have employees. With large or small groups of employees come vast amounts of personal and sensitive data and information. This can include financial details, contracts, sick notes, time sheets, and other personal data.

This type of personal information can be incredibly appealing to hackers, which is why it’s vital that every organization takes steps to encrypt important HR data. Additionally, this information should be protected from other prying eyes within the company. HR information and data is only important to a select few people and should be treated with care.

Commercial information

Data and information on customers, contracts with suppliers or buyers, and documents related to tenders and offers are just some of the commercial information that businesses will need to encrypt and protect.

If this type of information is compromised, the company as a whole could suffer. For this reason, all commercial information that is either being stored or shared must be encrypted to ensure its safety.

Legal information

It’s a safe bet to say that all legal company information should be safely encrypted. Legal information is highly sensitive, which means it should always get end-to-end encryption. This ensures that the legal information can only be deciphered by the sender and the recipient without a decryption taking place at the gateway.

Types of regulations organizations may need to comply with

Many types of data, such as the ones listed above, are held to specific industry standards and regulations. These regulations ensure that crucial information is never lost, misused, stolen, or corrupted.

If organizations do not comply with these regulations, they can expect to be charged high fees. On average, organizations lose $5.87 million in revenue due to a single non-compliance event. However, the financial impact goes far further than that. When you consider other factors that result from a non-compliance event, such as reputation damage and business disruption, that number can easily triple.

Additionally, when organizations don’t successfully protect sensitive information, the public often loses trust in them. This can result in lawsuits, profit loss, customer distrust and dissatisfaction, reduced employee retention, and other negative outcomes.

Some common compliance regulations include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• System and Organization Controls (SOC): Organizations that store customer data in the cloud are subject to SOC standards. Encryption falls under the confidentiality service principle of SOC and is a best practice for protecting sensitive financial information.

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): If your business handles cardholder data, following PCI DSS best practices can help minimize the risk of a data breach. One such practice is encryption of data file transmissions.

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): Companies in the healthcare industry use security protocols—including encryption—to meet HIPAA requirements for the protection of sensitive health data.

• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): Any company that collects the personal data of California residents is subject to CCPA. To mitigate risk, data must be encrypted when it is at rest or in transit.

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): The GDPR safeguards the privacy of EU citizens. Encryption is explicitly mentioned throughout the GDPR as a preferred method of protecting consumer data and managing the risks associated with transferring data.

Enterprise-level file encryption

It’s particularly important for organizations that handle the aforementioned types of data to implement file-based encryption, which makes sensitive data inaccessible without a unique key. The unique key, such as a password, prevents tampering and unauthorized access by malicious actors. It keeps a file from being read by anyone except the person it was intended for.

An enterprise file encryption strategy protects data across its lifecycle. This includes the following data states:

• Data at rest: At-rest data is stored in a device or database and is not actively moving to other devices or networks.

• Data in transit: Also known as data in motion, in-transit data is being transported to another location, whether it moves between devices, across networks, or within a company’s on-premises or cloud-based storage.

• Data in use: Data that is in use is regularly accessed for operations such as processing, updating, and viewing the data.

Without the proper encryption, data is highly susceptible to hacking and data breaches in each and every state of its lifestyle.

If you’re interested in seeing how WinZip can help with file encryption at the enterprise level, explore a free trial today!