Why Encryption Is Vital To Safe Home Working

Working from home is fast becoming the new normal. While many embrace its numerous upsides – from increased flexibility to doing away with the time and cost involved in commuting – it’s not always easy for businesses and their employees to get it right.

One of the challenges they face is several new and novel security threats. One way to redress these fresh dangers is by introducing encryption, but unless you’re particularly techy, you might not fully understand what this is, how it works, or why it’s so important. Let’s take a look at those points one at a time.

What Is encryption?

According to Cloud Flare, encryption works by scrambling data in a way that only authorized parties can decipher it. Essentially, it takes readable text that the average person could decipher and changes it into ‘ciphertext’, which requires a special cryptographic key to unlock.

Data can be encrypted in many ways: when it’s at rest, when it’s stored, and when it’s in transit i.e. being transmitted somewhere or to someone else. This means that if the information falls into the hands of an unauthorized party, it will be illegible to them and thus remain secure.

This is particularly important when employees are working from home, as this brings a whole host of security risks with it, from lost and stolen devices to the use of shared networks and so on.

How Does Encryption Work?

As we touched on above, encryption works by scrambling data. It utilizes complex algorithms to complete this process, with the result being that the information is illegible to those who don’t know how to decrypt it. This means that only authorized parties can read and access the data, so if it falls into the wrong ownership, it doesn’t pose a threat to a company’s security or the privacy of its consumers.

So how do those who are authorized to see it access the data? Through the use of a special key, provided by the individual who sent it. This can be of varying lengths and strengths depending on the level of security required.

Once the key is entered, the data is turned back into plain text so that it can be read, analyzed, and used by the recipient.

Why Does Encryption Matter?

So why does encryption matter so much? The answer is because it keeps you, your employees, and your customers safe from security threats. It does this by ensuring that confidential information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

It’s not only that encryption keeps you safe but that it fosters trust between you and your customers too. For example, Zoom found itself in hot water in 2020 when it promised end-to-end encryption and failed to deliver it. The result was that many organizations turned their backs on it entirely.

Companies that utilize encryption, on the other hand, show that they value their customer’s security and privacy, which is why you should take advantage of the tech in all areas of your business. This includes any software you use or applications you might run, with products that prioritize encryption carrying significant benefits. Take Dameware’s secure remote desktop system as an example. This allows businesses to safely access client networks, and one of the ways it does this is by having encryption in place. This enables it to perform its function without putting confidential data at risk.

The Takeaway

For those organizations who are embracing remote working in 2021, encryption is key. An effective way to combat the many novel risks and challenges you face, it will allow you to keep both you and your client’s data as safe as possible while working from home.

Also Read : Cybersecurity Dangers That Can Affect Your Business