Despite evidence that stored data is more vulnerable than data in transit, companies still focus encryption efforts on data transmission.It’s Time to Protect Stored DataA recent survey conducted by CIO and PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the most common result of security breaches in the past 12 months was the compromise or loss of stored data, just ahead of applications and network availability.It’s Also Time to Make Encryption a Priority Only 30 percent of IT executives said their companies encrypt stored data, yet it’s attacked most frequently.Source: “State of IT Security 2003,” a worldwide study conducted by CIO and PricewaterhouseCoopers—7,596 respondents Best PracticesDon’t lose the key. If you store encrypted data and lose the digital encryption key, you cannot read that data. Depending on the form or encryption you choose, if you store data in an encrypted fashion and lose the digital encryption key or access passwords, you have no way of ever reading that data again. Make sure you have backup procedures and access permissions as part of your encryption strategy, including storing encryption keys and passwords in escrow with a secure third party.Pick and choose. Some stored information may warrant this additional level of security, such as R&D or sensitive customer records, but other data may not. Companies should frequently review the classification of data and information and determine which assets require encryption. Align your security policy with your company’s business objectives. This will help you determine which data is critical to the business—requiring additional layers of security—and which is not. Related content feature Key IT initiatives reshape the CIO agenda While cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics remain top of mind for IT leaders, a shift toward delivering business value is altering how CIOs approach key priorities, pushing transformative projects to the next phase. By Mary Pratt May 30, 2023 10 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership opinion Managing IT right starts with rightsizing IT for value While there are few universals when it comes to saying unambiguously what ‘managing IT right’ looks like, knowing how to navigate the limitless possibilities of IT is surely one. By Thornton May May 30, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation IT Strategy IT Leadership feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe