The tco of software vs hardware based full disk encryption

Actually, if you look at the total cost of ownership, the hardwarebased approach is cheaper and easier and you can also save dramatically in the event of a lost or stolen computer. In this paper, we use the term hardwarebased full disk encryption and self encrypting drives seds interchangeably. Our reanalysis of the tco of software versus hardwarebased full disk encryption consists of eleven. Lsi sandforce ssd processor compliant with tcg opal spec. In addition, implementing hardware based full disk encryption is prohibitive for many companies due to the high cost of replacing existing hardware. Data importexport, basic reports, online customer support. Disk encryption uses disk encryption software or hardware to encrypt every bit of data that goes on a disk or disk volume.

As illustrated in figure 1, cost differences are significant in all four countries studied. The liskovrivestwagner tweakable narrowblock mode, a mode of operation specifically designed for disk encryption. For example, a photosharing software program on your pc or phone works with you and your hardware to take a photo and then communicates with servers and other devices on the internet to show that photo on your friends devices. Ponemon study demonstrates 75% cost savings when using. Hardware encryption is safer than software encryption because the encryption process is separate from the rest of the machine. Hardwarebased full disk encryption fde is available from many hard disk drive hddssd vendors, including. The ponemon institutes research study, entitled the tco of software vs. Access inside key differences chart included and find the right security.

The kingston best practice series is designed to help users of kingston products achieve the best possible user experience. Total cost of ownership for full disk encryption fde, sponsored by winmagic and independently conducted by ponemon institute published in july 2012, the purpose of this. This tip will help you become familiar with the formats of encryption and the importance of key management. Hardwarebased encryption vs softwarebased encryption. Supported encryption ranges from securedocs full disk encryption for pc, mac or linux, to native os encryption for windows bitlocker and os x filevault 2 to the management of hardware based. Assess your software and hardwarebased full disk encryption options. Hardware based encryption is the use of computer hardware to assist software, or sometimes replace software, in the process of data encryption. The full disk encryption solution from check point serves as the basis of the alertsec service.

Leading the way in simplifying full disk encryption. The use of a dedicated processor also relieves the burden on the rest of your device, making the encryption and decryption process much faster. We are compatible with most hardware configurations and support any windows or. Nov 27, 2019 software interacts with you, the hardware youre using, and with hardware that exists elsewhere. Encryption techniques and products for hardwarebased data. Hardwarebased fde is faster and potentially more secure, since the hard drives firmware includes the software for preboot authentication. Xex based tweaked codebook mode tcb with ciphertext stealing cts, the siswg ieee p1619 standard for disk encryption. I use it on quite a lot of computers so installing software on each of them to decrypt the contents would be a complete pita so the hardware handling the encryption works better for that. Hardwarebased full disk encryption, claims to provide an answer. Software full drive encryption page 3 seagate selfencrypting drives with wave systems embassy trusted drive manager.

Our tco analysis is conducted for four country samples on a per computer basis for one full year. Securedoc download this exclusive study conducted by dr. What is the difference between hardware vs softwarebased. For encryption security on usb flash drives, hard drives and solid state drives, two types of encryption methods are available. Our suites deliver even more data protection capabilities, like data loss prevention dlp and device control, as well as our xgen securityoptimized threat protection capabilities, including file reputation, machine learning, behavioral analysis, exploit protection, application control, and intrusion prevention. You cant compare full disk encryption to file encryption as they are both different things. For the hardware based product tests, we chose seagate technologies selfencrypting drives. Mar 17, 2009 hardware vs software encryption comparison 1. Mcafee data protection suite vs winmagic encryption. The use of this mature technology provides a stable platform to ensure that the data stored on a computer, whether it is a laptop or a desktop, is unreadable by unauthorized people. We survey the key hardware based methods and products available in data storage security.

Typically, this is implemented as part of the processors instruction set. In my personal experience, softwarebased full disk encryption in a dual boot setup with windows 7 is no problem if i only encrypt the os x startup volume with filevault 2 this is my current setup. An sed will always have a hardwarebased encryption engine on board, often. This makes migrating to hardware encryption technologies more difficult and would generally require a clear migration and central management solution for both hardware and software based full disk.

Hardwarebased encryption is the use of computer hardware to assist software, or sometimes replace software, in the process of data encryption. Encryption techniques can be applied to data on the drive or array, at the host or in the fabric. Jul 12, 2017 truecrypt was the goto recommendation for fulldisk encryption software, and the developers suddenly said the code was not secure and halted development. Lower total cost of ownership tco with centralised policy administration. The reanalysis of tco provided in this paper finds substantial cost differences between softwarebased and hardwarebased full disk encryption methods. Fde automatically converts data on a hard drive into a form that cannot be understood unless someone has the key to unencrypt that data. Check point endpoint full disk encryption datasheet.

Encrypting storagedrives sed and the whole drive industry, including hdd and. Our reanalysis of the tco of software versus hardwarebased full disk encryption consists of eleven components. Figure 3 provides additional insights, showing a users downtime is substantially lower in the case of hardwarebased encryption sed versus softwarebased. For example, the aes encryption algorithm a modern cipher can be implemented using the aes instruction set on the ubiquitous x86 architecture. Superseded by the more secure xts mode due to security concerns. Seagate was the first disk drive manufacturers to enter the encrypting hard drive marketplace. Usb drives have proven their value for companies of all sizes, in many important ways. A fulldiskencrypted system comes at a greater tco not just from the cost of the hardware and software needed, but the costs involved with provisioning and maintaining encrypted systems. The tco comparison included the following fde providers.

Winmagic endpoint encryption cost more but does it fit your needs. Such customers are weighing the relative merits of hardwarebased selfencryption versus softwarebased solutions. In this paper, we use the term hardwarebased full disk encryption and selfencrypting drives seds interchangeably. It is not vulnerable to cold boot attacks for example. But if consistent high throughput, low latency and security are key issues, then dedicated, optimised hardwarebased encryption is superior to softwarebased encryption.

Sed encryption is faster than softwarebased encryption since each. This wikipedia article should assist in choosing encryption software that suits your needs. It is used to prevent unauthorized access to data storage. Encryption software can also be complicated to configure for advanced use and, potentially, could be turned off by users. I have a memory stick with hardware encryption that i keep a load of tools and utilities on. On average, when compared to software based encryption, hardware based encryption with seds can offer a 75 percent total cost savings. To help you evaluate this, weve compared mcafee data protection suite vs. First of all, the tco over 3 years assuming that the life span of the hard disk is 3 years is much much lower than the tco of the licensing model of any software based solution. Both methods are very effective in providing security. Trend micro endpoint encryption encrypts data on a wide range of devices, such. Jun 23, 2015 encryption software can also be complicated to configure for advanced use and, potentially, could be turned off by users.

Hardwarebased full disk encryption, april 20 reduced tco by eliminating the added expense and time required to destroy and dispose of nonencrypted drives. Disk encryption is a technology which protects information by converting it into unreadable code that cannot be deciphered easily by unauthorized people. Full disk encryption tco calculus in this section, we analyze the individual components of tco for full disk encryption. Secondly, from a strict security perspective, it is more secure. Fde provides encryption at the hardware level and, as a result, is protocol agnostic. Portal which lowers the tco of the product, by reducing number of supporting it. Apr 18, 20 in this study, it was found that hardware based encryption solutions such as seds offer more than a 75% cost savings when compared to software based encryption solutions. Sep 03, 2012 the report, total cost of ownership for full disk encryption, is based on a survey of 1,335 it and it security individuals in the u. Hardwarebased encryption uses a devices onboard security to perform encryption and decryption. A full disk encrypted system comes at a greater tco not just from the cost of the hardware and software needed, but the costs involved with provisioning and maintaining encrypted systems. Software vs hardware encryption, whats better and why. Software vs hardware encryption, whats better and why people often ask me, when it comes to storage or dataatrest encryption, whats better, file system encryption fse which is done in software by the storage controller, or full disk encryption fde which is done in hardware via specialized self encrypting drives seds.

Review compliance requirements for storeddata encryption understand the concept of selfencryption. Performance degradation is a notable problem with this type of encryption. If you also want to encrypt your windows or linux volume, things get messy so ive heard but not tested for myself. One encrypts the entire drive, the other only affects targeted files. Practical experience and the procon of making the transition to seds will be shared in this session. The benefits of hardware encryption for secure usb drives. Software encryption is software based, where the encryption of a drive is provided by external software to secure the data. Which is more secure a full disk or file encryption. The reanalysis of tco provided in this paper finds substantial cost differences between software based and hardware based full disk encryption methods. Endpoint encryption is a critical component of our smart protection suites. The opal storage specification provides a comprehensive architecture for putting storage devices such as seds under policy control as determined by a trusted platform host. Dec 20, 2007 why use hardware for encryption when it suffers from all the regular problems of hardware, including higher cost, impossibility of upgrades, etc. The full mobile deployment benefits of intel solidstate drives. It is selfcontained and does not require the help of any additional software.

People often ask me, when it comes to storage or dataatrest encryption, whats better, file system encryption fse which is done in software by the storage controller, or full disk encryption fde which is done in hardware via specialized self encrypting drives seds. Therefore, it is essentially free from the possibility of contamination, malicious code infection, or vulnerability. Endpoint full disk encryption check point software. In this study, it was found that hardwarebased encryption solutions such as seds offer more than a 75% cost savings when compared to softwarebased encryption solutions. Winmagic encryption based on some of the most important and required security features. Hitachi, istorage limited, seagate technology, samsung, toshiba, viasat uk, western digital, micron, ocz, sandisk, samsung, integral memory and usb vendors such as yubikey or istorage limited. Winmagic encryption vs sophos network comparison itqlick. Up to a 75% cost savings over softwarebased encryption solutionsponemon institute, the tco of software vs. In this study, it was found that hardware based encryption solutions such as seds offer more than a 75% cost savings when compared to software based encryption solutions. Pricing enforce encryption on thirdparty devices laptop. This edition of the best practice piece covers the differences between hardware based and software based encryption used to secure a usb drive. The tool should support the processes, workflows, reports and needs that matter to your team.