Digital Common Sense

November 21, Federal Computer Weekly — Lost records convince officials that encrypted digital backups are crucial. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region, along with many vital records, federal officials realized they needed to digitize such records to prevent future data loss. But storage analysts say federal agencies are behind the curve when it comes to safeguarding digitized records stored elsewhere. Federal agencies are not encrypting their off−site data, said Jon Oltsik, a senior analyst at research firm Enterprise Strategy Group. Katrina’s destruction demonstrated the importance of electronic backup copies of documents such as health records and flood maps. But by keeping copies of critical information, agencies also create new opportunities for data theft. Oltsik is the author of a recent survey that asked 388 agencies and companies whether they encrypt backup data as they copy it to tape. “Of the five industry segments we looked at, [the local/federal] government was the worst,” he said. Only three percent of government organizations said they always encrypt backup data, and 77 percent said they never do. Overall, only seven percent of the organizations surveyed said they always encrypt backup data, despite the fact that vendors have offered backup encryption tools for at least 15 years, Oltsik said.
Source: http://fcw.com/article91509−11−21−05−Print

Filed by Ken at 5:52 pm under General, InfoSec, Technology