Global geopolitical changes driving encryption adoption

Recent global geopolitical changes have made more people and organizations than ever worry about the privacy of their data, and consider increasing their use of encryption to ensure their data is kept safe.

According to the results of a survey of 918 security professionals attending the 2017 RSA Conference:

• Almost three-fourths (72 percent) of security professionals say they are more concerned about data privacy; similarly, 71 percent say organizations are more concerned about data privacy.
• Two-thirds of IT security respondents (66 percent) say their organizations are considering increasing their use of encryption.
• Only 29 percent of security professionals say they are “90 percent confident” in their organizations’ ability to secure and protect encrypted communication.
  • Nearly a third (32 percent) say they are “not confident” or have only “50 percent confidence” in their organizations’ ability to protect and secure encrypted communication.
  • Seven percent say they “have no idea” if their organization can protect encrypted communication.
• Approximately three-quarters (72 percent) of IT security professionals are more concerned today about encryption backdoors than they were a year ago.

“The tension between data privacy and national security is going to continue to escalate,” said Jeff Hudson, CEO of Venafi. “Encryption is the lynchpin of our entire global digital economy. It controls the privacy and security of everything from our personal photos to the most sensitive national security data. Our collective ability to secure encrypted data has a profound impact on digital privacy and trust around the world.”

“Encryption plays a fundamental role in data privacy, whether it’s protecting data from hackers or governments,” said Paul Turner, CTO of Server Products for Venafi. “The challenges organizations are already facing in managing and securing encryption keys, combined with concerns about the integrity and strength of encryption implementations, is undermining confidence in the privacy and security of data.”