Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Securing Data at Rest

There are hardware and software options available. Basic options include:
  • Storage System - secures data at rest, least secure, hardware / hosting implication, easiest to implement
  • Network Appliance -mid-level security, secures data in-flight, lowest barrier to entry, cost-effective, doesn't affect current storage infrastructure, can be bypassed if necessary, one required for every 1-2 storage devices, good short-term solution but may not scale
  • Host-based - most secure, requires installation on client computer
Notes:
  • Don't encrypt everything. Figure out what's really important and only encrypt that.
  • No matter what solution you choose, use centralized key management.
  • Some level of automation of key requisition, backup, etc., should be required.
  • An API doesn't hurt, either.

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