Encryption+Advantages+and+Disadvantages

**Advantages** One advantage to encryption is that it seperates the security if data from the security of the device where the data resides or the medium through which data is transmitted. Other key advantages to implimenting encryption include the elimination of the pain that comes with data breach disclosures, the provision of strong protection for intellectual property. People should keep in mind that standard email is not secure and is in fact tantamount to writing sensitive information on postcards that are sent via the mail. Encrypted data that can only be read by a system or user who has the key to unencrypted the data mens the system or user is authorized to read the data. Encrypted data cannot be accessed by third parties, who only see random strings of bits when they intercept data packets. Encryption comes with numerous advantages that need to protect both data at rest and data in flight. At the end of the day encryption is the **__LAST LINE OF DEFENSE.__**

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 * Benefits of Encryption **
 * 1) Peace of Mind
 * 2) Identity Theft Protection
 * 3) Safe Decommossioning of Computer
 * 4) Unauthorized Access Protection
 * 5) Compliance with Data Protection Acts
 * Drawbacks/Disadvantages **

Encryption is a very complex technology. Management of encryption keys must be an added administrative task for often overburdened IT staff. One big disadvantage of encryption as it relates to keys is that the security of data becomes the security of the encryption key. Lose that key, and you effectively lose your data. Encrypting data and creating the keys necessary to encrypt and decrypt the data is computionally expensive. No matter what type of encryption is used, the systems performing the computional heavy lifting must have available resources. One of the common drawbacks of traditional full-disk encryption solutions is the reduction of overall system performance upon deployment.A key pitfall is that a poor encryption implementation could result in a false sense of security, when in fact it is wide open to attack.



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