Business to Business Workflow: Reducing IT Complexity
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With disparate key management systems, security implementations may contribute to rather than reduce complexity in enterprise IT. The need for security is growing, though. Enterprises need centralized key management and policy-based, authenticated data access technology. With centralized control and seamless communication across cryptographic technologies and systems, the enterprise can reduce costs and risk. |
Enterprise IT complexity is a real and growing problem. Today, IT infrastructures are more distributed, support more applications and services and must integrate with ever-longer supply chains and other outsourced business processes. Contributing to this growing complexity is a security dimension. To reduce risk, enterprises are employing encryption and other cryptographic techniques across a wider range of applications, services, data and devices than ever before. If not managed correctly however, this added complexity can be both burdensome and counterproductive to the enterprise security goals.
Disparate key management systems - implemented for applications, files, storage environments or content management -are costly to maintain and can create inconsistencies or gaps in security. Encryption needs are only growing, though. Greater quantities of information are subject to regulatory or compliance rules (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley, PCI Security Standards, PII laws, HIPAA, and other global data protection laws, etc.) In addition, these regulations specify distinct policies for data accessibility, storage, or audit requirements, often complicating the solution. Despite the use of encryption and other techniques, instances of costly data breaches and debilitating spyware, malware or phishing attacks continue to drain IT resources and corporate reputation.
Tackling growing IT complexity requires a strategic, enterprise-wide effort. Enterprises need to start with technology that offers a comprehensive approach, such as centralized key management and policy-based, authenticated data access. By centralizing control and communicating seamlessly across any cryptographic client and system, the enterprise can easily deploy and manage a variety of cryptographic technologies. This control frees IT resources, allowing for a more strategic and flexible approach to aligning IT resources with long-term business needs.