| It's common sense that the personal or business data | | | | Electronics Engineers). The IEEE issues standards |
| found on computers and networks everywhere, | | | | expressly for tape technology. Its latest tape |
| which cost its owners precious time and money to | | | | technology standard, IEEE 1619.1, is adhered to by |
| acquire, is very valuable and unquestionably should be | | | | the LTO-4 technology. |
| protected from loss. It should also be common sense | | | | In-depth understanding of backup encryption requires |
| that the data designated for storage and protection | | | | knowledge of complex technological jargon and |
| should be encrypted to secure it from being misused | | | | processes. In layman's terms, backup encryption uses |
| if stolen by unauthorized users. Unfortunately, many | | | | a code to convert data into a format that is |
| companies that use, for example, tapes for data | | | | unreadable without a key. For example, if I were to |
| backup, do not encrypt their stored data. This | | | | write a message and convert each letter to the |
| practice is akin to placing valuables in a safe, but | | | | number of its place in the alphabet, I am creating a |
| leaving the door unlocked. Data backup encryption is | | | | code (The correct technical term is cipher or |
| a must for full data protection. | | | | algorithm). The key would be the piece of paper or |
| The two most common acronyms you should | | | | other medium stating 1=a, 2=b, 3=c, etc. Of course, |
| understand in relation to the function of data backup | | | | with computer data backup encryption, ciphers and |
| encryption are AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) | | | | keys are digital and far more complex. For example, |
| and SSL (Secure Socket Layer). Secure Socket Layer | | | | even a supercomputer would take 149 trillion years |
| encryption refers to the encryption of data as it is | | | | to decipher an AES 128-bit encryption. |
| transferred over the Internet. The Advanced | | | | Backup encryption of data serves as a safeguard in |
| Encryption Standard applies to data in storage. SSL | | | | the rare but serious event that anterior levels of |
| and AES encryption are used in tandem for online | | | | building or Internet security are breached and data |
| backup, in which data is copied and transmitted from | | | | stored on tapes or the Web falls into the wrong |
| its original server to a secure server in a remote | | | | hands. To ensure maximum protection of data, it |
| location. | | | | should be encrypted and stored either online in a |
| AES encryption is also used for tape backup. For | | | | secure server in a remote location, or on tape. (Data |
| example, LTO-4 tape (fourth-generation Linear | | | | already recorded on tapes can still be encrypted |
| Tape-Open, the open alternative to DLT, Digital | | | | after the fact.) Too many companies have learned |
| Linear Tape) supports AES 256-bit encryption on | | | | the hard way for anyone not to know now that |
| tape drives. Another acronym associated with tape | | | | backup encryption is a necessity. |
| backup encryption is IEEE (Institute of Electrical and | | | | |