We live in an age where an organization's data is one of it's most important assets. Unfortunately, this is also the age when data is the most difficult to protect. Accordingly, the various governments and industry associations have implemented numerous regulations to help each industry deal with these threats as they pertain to their operating environments.
This section provides links to several major industries that currently require specific data encryption solutions and how Dark Matter Labs can help meet this need.
Note: Be aware that your data encryption requirements may span several industries, especially Privacy.
PRIVACY - Start here...
- Many organizations do not realize that Privacy Legislation has become almost universal. While the word 'privacy' may mean many things to many people, there is, in fact, specific information that is considered legally private. While legislation varies from country to country and state to state, there are certain pieces of data that organizations should strongly consider encrypting whether they are legally required to or not. In the event of a public disclosure of a data breach or theft, an organization's due diligence and foresight will go a long way towards mitigating the severity of the consequences. Learn more...
Retail & E-Commerce
- Retailers, both traditional and online, have long-since recognized the need to implement current technologies to collect customer data and extract meaningful business metrics from it. Nowadays, this need is matched by the 'all too real' need to protect this private consumer data, from both moral and regulatory stand-points. As an example, in June 2005, the major credit card associations introduced the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to enhance the security of credit card data. Compliance with the PCI DSS will be required for all businesses in the credit card chain - merchant, processor, acquirer and the service providers that service these businesses, such as software developers, third party network managers and hosting companies.
Health Care
- The health care industry has long-since been scrutinized for it's practices regarding the safe storage of private health information. In today's increasingly digital world, it is no surprise that health care organizations and product vendors are moving towards all-digital health records and processes. This rapid increase in Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and Personal Health Records (PHRs) brings with it as many potential security risks as it does benefits. In recognition of these security and privacy risks, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996 and is now in full effect. HIPAA places strict privacy requirements on covered entities in the health care industry.
Financial Services, Banking, Insurance & Payment Processing
- The financial services, banking, insurance & payment processing industries are no strangers to the requirement to maintain strict network security. Nowadays, the challenges with encrypting data at rest in these institutions has never been greater or more necessary to overcome. A myriad of federal, state, and industry regulations, including Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance and numerous privacy laws require businesses to make every effort to protect private consumer information. This protection necessarily includes data encryption, the implementation of which can be quite challenging in large enterprises with complex network infrastructures requiring constant high-performance to meet their business objectives. One of the chief concerns amongst most large financial institutions is the requirement to manage a vast array of complex encryption keys, the loss of which equates to the loss of the encrypted data itself. Dark Matter Labs is familiar with this concern and has developed an industry-leading key management suite that puts the power to control all elements of the encryption-key life-cycle at our client's fingertips.
