As businesses increasingly move into using more complex devices and data-gathering methods, the concern for ways to protect that data increases as well. The complexity involved in protecting confidential data and preventing data breaches is vast. Meeting compliance mandates on top of everything else can be frustrating. Some employees may compromise security by using their own devices at the workplace. Worse, if someone at the organization loses a critical device, it may compound the problem even further. Now more than ever, businesses need a way to secure data in the event of a problem. That’s where endpoint encryption comes into play. Protecting your assets and data all comes down to managing your systems properly. Here are a few ways endpoint encryption helps:

Enhanced pre-boot authentication

Cyber attacks are expensive for both a business and its customers. Boosting and reinforcing endpoint encryption is the best method to accomplish this arduous task. Protecting your business and customers from breaches or other security concerns is like a puzzle. A large piece of the puzzle lies in the power of pre-boot authentication. Bolstering the pre-boot process gives users more control over authentication through set passwords and multi-factor authentication. It’s extremely flexible and allows you to install updates or do maintenance prior to the authentication process as well as allowing your system to lock out any unauthorized attempts to access your systems. Further customization allows you to set up a failsafe action in the event of failed password entry/access attempts in addition to supporting multiple devices. Both comprehensive and pragmatic, enhanced pre-boot authentication can stop a breach before it can even begin.

Simple and remote device management

The key to making any type of endpoint encryption work properly is remote device management. Powerful encryption software makes remote device management a breeze. Once the encryption software is fully integrated, it gives you strong oversight over PCs, laptops, removable media, and mobile devices. Lost or forgotten password? No problem. The software protects your data without disrupting your work. Worried about remote device compliance? The software handles that, too. It also helps collect and track device-specific information (like MAC address and CPU identifier), giving you total control over every device and access point.

Your organization can take full control over lost or stolen devices by remotely locking and wiping them before they even have a chance to boot. Once they access a network, the software kicks into gear and takes the appropriate action. A kill switch for remote devices can save your business a major headache in the long haul.

Maximized platform coverage

Endpoint encryption software is amazing when it comes to providing data protection and coverage across desktops (both PC and Mac), laptops, smart devices, and removable media. A mix of transparent, whole drive and FFRM (file, folder, and removable media) encryption can effectively maximize encryption across your entire organization while creating a secure environment for transactions and data storage/retrieval. Most software also supports hardware and software-based encryption over different types of environments. Moreover, it’s easy to deploy and manage across multiple drives, with customization opportunities across the board. Maximizing platform coverage requires a layered approach to be effective, so implementing robust encryption software into your operation is vital to continued success and data protection.

Automated processes

Automating your encryption is another way to effectively protect your data. Not only does it protect data at rest (data that’s stored on a drive and isn’t moved), but it can make it easier to protect data in-transit (the data that gets moved around the network)–something an alarming number of businesses don’t do. Securing your network processes along with software and hardware is where automation shines. Using encrypted connections like HTTPS, SSL, TLS, and FTPS alongside encryption software can supplement and boost data security in a manner consistent with industry standards and compliance. The best part is the software itself can enable both automatic and transparent encryption without causing any performance issues.

Easy system management

The best part of using endpoint encryption is how deceptively simple it is to deploy and manage within an existing infrastructure. Once an organization gains full control and visibility over their systems, it gets easier to manage the entire network. It also becomes less expensive, with total cost of ownership going down as the software protects your business successfully over time. Administration is usually a pain in the best of times, but quality software will simplify the process so you can enforce compliance standards across the organization. Detailed reports and auditing offer full control over policy and deployment rendering endpoint encryption an all-purpose solution that will protect your business interests well into the future.