Things are not well in the state of cyber security in the United States. Unfortunately, many American businesses, large and small, still struggle with providing adequate cyber security for their employees and their clients. Companies as large as Target and J.P. Morgan have been the victims of major hacking operations this past year. In 2011, 535 data breaches in the U.S. resulted in more than 30 million customer data records being stolen. It is also estimated that 70% of businesses will lose (or have lost) data due to hacking, accidents, or even physical damage (such as a fire). As frightening as it sounds, improper managed file transfer solutions are putting many businesses, and their clients, at risk.
For these reasons, it is imperative that businesses establish secure and easy file transfer services for their digital files. In order to better understand data delivery methods and data loss prevention solutions, here are three major services and programs that IT departments across the country use today to protect their files:
- File Transfer Protocol: File transfer protocol, or FTP, is a standard data delivery system that enables the transfer of files between various clients via a server. FTP can be controlled by either a basic command interface or a specially designed commercial interface that makes it easier for the user to command.
- Secure File Transfer Protocol: Secure file transfer protocol, or SFTP, is similar to FTP only in name. Unlike FTP, SFTP uses a secure data transfer line to transfer files to and from various clients. It is also widely used along with FTP.
- Encryption: Encryption is the process of converting private data into unreadable text in order to thwart would-be hackers and unwanted users. Encryption converts the original data, “plaintext,” into illegible data, “ciphertext,” using an algorithmic equation. The ciphertext is translated back into plaintext using a “key,” which basically is the algorithmic program that was used to for the original conversion. Many (if not most) file transfer services uses encryption of some kind.
There is a lot more that goes into easy file transfer services, of course, but the main thing to remember is that they are necessary. Cyber security has never been a bigger priority. By setting up cyber security for your business, you can ensure that your business’s data, including those from your clients and costumers, remain private. Without that privacy, businesses as large as the Home Depot can lose millions of files in an instant. Good references here.