Many companies have recently changed their policies on data at rest and the measures used to secure the data in their systems. This is due to a change in the perceived value of the information and exposure of such information. Data at rest for many companies held an out of sight out of mind place until the data became compromised. This forced companies to seriously look at ways to secure their data. Whether data is active or data at rest it can cost companies a lot more then money if it is compromised. Maintaining public trust takes a lot more then money to regain and compromising data is one sure way of losing both money and trust.

Determining the Value of Data at Rest

It is very easy to label certain files of data at rest as less or more valuable then others. This usually has to do with relevance or sensitivity, but in actuality whether data is label valuable or not it may be valuable to someone. The value of certain data at rest is not just the value a company places on certain data but also the value it may have to another. Old credit card numbers from customers that haven’t made a purchase in over 18 months may have no present value to a company but they would to a thief. Viewing all data at rest as having value to someone is the only way to justify taking the necessary to secure it.

Data at rest that has been given a lesser value then other data is more likely to fall prey to thieves as less secure measures will be taken to store it. Without a more comprehensive view of the value it may just be transfer to some obscure directory where it is forgotten. Data at rest that is handled in this manner may be discovered by an unauthorized user and exploited to their benefit. No files or information should ever be treated by a company as having no value. The value of data at rest is always high and should be treated as such. If some information is truly worthless it should be transferred to disk and the disks should be destroyed where no one can gain access.

Make Data at Rest Protection a Priority

Before any steps will be taken to protect data at rest it has to become a priority for a company to do so. There is a lot of information available however on companies recovering from data at rest compromise. After reading about such companies it should be easy to convince those in power to take steps to secure data. A company by the name of SanDisk Enterprise has software that can protect your data at rest and keep it out of the hands of unauthorized users.

A good point to consider when considering the protection of data at rest is be certain to use the very best encryption technology available. SanDisk Enterprise has the very best encryption software to protect data at rest regardless of the particular value it has been deemed to have. The small investment made to protect the company now will save a large cost later if a security breach of data at rest takes place. A little bit of preventive action now can save a lot of expense later.