WinMagic Applauds Quocirca’s Latest Data Protection Report

“Full-disk encryption provides the greatest security against data loss should a device be mislaid or stolen and should therefore be considered to be best practice.”

Toronto, Ontario – July 28, 2009 – WinMagic®, the innovative leader in disk encryption, applauds the findings of Quocirca’s latest data protection report written by Principal Analyst, Fran Howarth. The report, available at www.winmagic.com, states that most data theft is avoidable and is mainly caused by lost or stolen laptops and other portable devices. The report recommends that organizations protect all data on all portable devices with full-disk encryption, which encrypts almost everything on the disk, including file names, temporary files, boot sectors, etc. Howarth writes, “Full-disk encryption provides the greatest security against data loss should a device be mislaid or stolen and should therefore be considered to be best practice.”

According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, more than 262 million data records containing personally identifiable information have been compromised through security breaches in the US alone since January 2005. However, information published by Data Loss DB, a clearing house for breaches that were made public in 2008, shows that just 14% of these cases were caused by hackers. This compares to more than 32% that resulted from the loss or theft of laptops, mobile phones, or other portable media and storage devices.

Quocirca’s report explains how today’s full-disk encryption solutions not only make it easy and cost effective for organizations to protect all valuable intellectual property, but also prevent users from bypassing security as well as eliminating the need for organizations to notify individuals that their personally identifiable information may have been compromised in the event of a security breach. Howarth believes that today’s full-disk encryption solutions should not only be user friendly, but also be simple to manage to enable any sized organization to protect data throughout the entire enterprise.

“For any encryption system, ease of use is essential, but the provision of central management systems such as that provided by WinMagic’s SecureDoc makes the use of encryption viable for organisations of all sizes,” said Fran Howarth, Principal Analyst, Quocirca Ltd. “To help shield organisations from data losses caused by the loss or theft of portable devices, full-disk encryption products are the ideal choice for organisations looking to protect data on all desktops, laptops and removable media in any computing environment, including those based on Windows, Mac or Linux.”

Compatible with all editions of Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, and 2000 as well as Mac and Linux platforms, WinMagic’s SecureDoc full-disk encryption solutions protect sensitive data stored on servers, desktops, laptops and removable media, such as USB thumb drives and CD/DVDs. SecureDoc also supports and manages hardware-encrypted disk drives such as the Seagate® Momentus® FDE and BlackArmorT drives, as well as the upcoming TCG “Opal” specification drives from other leading drive manufacturers. This provides organizations with the flexibility to deploy any combination of hardware and software-based encryption – or transition between the two – with full transparency for end users and a consistent management interface for administrators.

SecureDoc makes it simple for organizations to centrally deploy enterprise-class ‘always-on’ full-disk encryption. And, in the event that a password is forgotten, or if the user is not available, centralized escrow and management of encryption keys ensure critical data can still be accessed. Additionally, SecureDoc simplifies the deployment of any combination of sector-based full-disk encryption, file-and-folder encryption, container encryption and self-extractor encryption. This not only makes it easy for organizations to customize data protection to meet specific security protocols, but also ‘future-proofs’ their investment in encryption.

About Quocirca Ltd.

Quocirca is a primary research and analysis company specialising in the business impact of information technology and communications (ITC). With world-wide, native language reach, Quocirca provides in-depth insights into the views of buyers and influencers in large, mid-sized and small organisations. Its analyst team is made up of real-world practitioners with firsthand experience of ITC delivery who continuously research and track the industry and its real usage in the markets. Quocirca works with global and local providers of ITC products and services to help them deliver on the promise that ITC holds for business. Quocirca’s clients include Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, O2, T-Mobile, HP, Xerox, EMC, Symantec and Cisco, along with other large and medium sized vendors, service providers and more specialist firms. Details of Quocirca’s work and the services it offers can be found at www.quocirca.com.

About WinMagic Inc.

WinMagic provides the world’s most secure, manageable and easy-to-use data encryption solutions. Compatible with all editions of Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, and 2000 as well as Mac and Linux platforms, WinMagic’s SecureDoc protects sensitive data stored on servers, desktops, laptops and removable media, such as USB thumb drives and CD/DVDs. Thousands of the most security conscious enterprises and government organizations around the world depend on SecureDoc to minimize business risks, meet privacy and regulatory compliance requirements, and protect valuable information assets against unauthorized access. With a full complement of professional and customer services, WinMagic supports over three million SecureDoc users in approximately 43 countries. For more information, please visit www.winmagic.com.

Michael O’Keeffe
Communication Strategies, Inc.
High-Tech Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations
66 Riverview Gardens, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M6S 4E5
Canada
Telephone: (416) 760-0100
Fax: (416) 760-0090
E-mail: mokeeffe {at} comstratpr(.)com