Security Worries Drive Growing Interest in Storage Encryption Products, New Report Finds

As More Enterprises Deploy Storage Networking, Concerns are Growing Over the Vulnerability of Stored Data, According to Byte and Switch Insider

PRNewswire
NEW YORK
Mar 14, 2006

The move to storage networking has increased the vulnerability of all corporate data to intrusion and attack, leading enterprise IT managers to take a more serious look at storage encryption for added protection of data assets, according a new report published by the subscription research service Byte and Switch Insider (http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider).

"Storage Encryption: State of the Art" explores the technology options available for encrypting data stored by enterprises. While most attention in data security to date has centered on protecting data as it is transported across network connections, increased use of storage networking and distributed databases has made stored data (a.k.a. "data at rest") more susceptible to security breaches. The report focuses on encryption products that apply directly to data at rest.

The report identifies and compares basic encryption processes and details the critical factors to be considered by storage network managers in weighing different options. The report includes outlines of the encryption products and strategies of 18 different technology suppliers, including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Symantec.

"Historically, network administrators have concentrated on protecting resources on the front end of the storage environment, under the premise that stored data was protected as long as the entry point to that data was kept secure," the report notes. "But storage networking has introduced new security issues not normally addressed by conventional network security efforts."

"Storage Encryption: State of the Art" identifies and analyzes the full range of technology, deployment, and market factors affecting enterprise use of storage encryption, including:

  * Recent changes in regulatory compliance laws regarding storage and
    handling of enterprise data

  * Factors that can be used to determine which data requires the added
    security of encryption

  * The impact of encryption key management on IT resources

  * Comparative cost and deployment analyses of hardware- and software-based

    encryption options

  Key findings of the report include the following:

  * Regulatory compliance requirements will drive more enterprises to invest

    in storage encryption technologies.

  * Encryption key management is emerging as a major element determining the

    cost and success of storage security efforts.

  * Software-based encryption is generally considered less expensive to
    deploy, but it carries a hidden cost of processing overhead.

  * Encryption embedded in storage hardware is the most likely future
    direction for storage security, but such products are not widely
    available today.

"Storage Encryption: State of the Art" is available as part of an annual subscription (12 monthly issues) to Byte and Switch Insider, priced at $1,350. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

  Jeff Claudino
  Director of Sales
  Insider Research Services
  619-229-9940
  claudino@lightreading.com

  Press/analyst contact:

  Dennis Mendyk
  Managing Director
  Heavy Reading
  201-587-2154
  mendyk@heavyreading.com

  About Light Reading

Light Reading Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMP Media, is a B-to-B network information provider. Light Reading publishes http://www.lightreading.com/, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; http://www.byteandswitch.com/, a storage networking site; and http://www.unstrung.com/, dedicated to wireless networking. Light Reading is also affiliated with http://www.heavyreading.com/, a market research site for quantitative analysis of telecom technology to carriers, service providers, and vendors.

About CMP Media

Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP Media (http://www.cmp.com/) has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

SOURCE: Byte and Switch Insider

CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales of Insider Research Services,
+1-619-229-9940, claudino@lightreading.com; or Press/analyst contact - Dennis
Mendyk, Managing Director of Heavy Reading, +1-201-587-2154,
mendyk@heavyreading.com

Web site: http://www.lightreading.com/
http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider
http://www.heavyreading.com/