Full Disk Encryption Benefits Exceed Cost From 4X to 20X

WinMagic Inc., in full disk encryption, along with the Ponemon Institute LLC, announced the results of a survey looking into the TCO of full disk encryption.

Key findings in the study (The True Cost for Full Disk Encryption) revealed that when compared to the potential damage caused by data disclosure, the cost of encryption is a fraction of the value it provides to businesses around the world.

The purpose of the study was to learn how organizations are deploying software and hardware full disk encryption solutions for desktop and laptop computers as well as the determination of total cost and benefits for organizations.

The Ponemon Institute surveyed 1,335 individuals in IT and IT security in four separate country samples: US, UK, Germany and Japan representing a variety of industry sectors.

"WinMagic has long held the belief that innovative features can help to significantly reduce the cost of deploying and operating full disk encryption, while optimizing compliance and user satisfaction," said Garry McCracken, VP technology parnerships at WinMagic. "The study clearly shows that the investment into a leading encryption solution such as SecureDoc will pay back in less than a year whereas software that is bundled with operating systems or Anti-Malware products might negatively impact the IT budget and user satisfaction."

Key findings from the study include:

• Expected benefits of full disk encryption exceed cost in all four countries by a factor ranging from 4 to 20. In the context of the research, the primary benefit of full disk encryption is a reduction in the probability of having a data breach as a result of a lost or stolen desktop or laptop computer.
• TCO varies by organizational size: The highest TCO is for organizations with fewer than 50 employees ($399) and more than 25,000 employees ($313). The pure software cost (license and maintenance) only represents a small fraction of the total cost of FDE encryption solution.
• Organizations report that more than one-third of their stolen desktops and laptop computers contained unencrypted sensitive information.
• The most expensive component of TCO concerns the value of user and IT department time incurred operating encrypted desktops or laptops.

"This study really allowed us to get very granular as it relates to the optimum use of encryption and understanding the TCO. The results clearly show that the benefits for encryption are extremely compelling," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute.

Overall, the results demonstrate that the user and IT cost of deploying and running a full disk encryption solution is much higher than the pure software cost. This sheds a new light on allegedly ‘free’ encryption solutions that come with operating systems. These may have significantly higher TCO compared to commercial full disk encryption solutions that have a minimal impact on IT processes and end-user productivity.

By using WinMagic’s full-disk encryption solution, SecureDoc, customers are able to reduce the tTCO of encryption while increasing user satisfaction and data security:

• With PBConnex the process for resetting passwords is the same as with an unencrypted machine (for example via Active Directory), not requiring complex additional steps as with many other solutions.
• With SecureDoc PBConnex staging is as simple as having the user logon while online with their AD credentials. There is no need to define which user will be using which device upfront.
• With WinMagic’s SecureDoc, encryption TCO can be reduced by at least $226,163 per organization per year (based on a business sample size of 7,788 users).
• Savings are based on time reduced on device staging and password reset only.