Companies today are scrambling to implement the enabling technologies required to support a growingly remote workforce efficiently and cost-effectively. Tools for file sharing, virtual collaboration and communication, employee engagement, and remote project management, are now part of the critical factors that will smooth the transition for remote workers. A few weeks ago in this blog, we talked about how a cloud-based software licensing system could allow remote workers to securely access their business applications from anywhere at any time without having to worry about the availability or physical location of the license.

From an infrastructure standpoint, a sound cybersecurity strategy is now more important than ever. IT managers are relying heavily on VPNs, VoIP, and tools for authentication, real-time security monitoring, data backup and recovery, antivirus protocols, and other technologies to strengthen their security schemes for remote workers. While the traditional office environment can be secured with lock and key and tightly controlled networks, the home-based work environment is a moving target, opening a vast attack surface for cybercriminals to find their way into corporate networks.

One of the key areas of concern with remote working is document security. The exchange of digital documents, representative of intellectual property, proprietary corporate designs and patents, personal data, financials and other sensitive information, between remote employees or with 3^rd party clients can easily fall into the wrong hands if the proper protections are not enforced. Home-based workers operating beyond the safeguards of their corporate IT infrastructure are typically no match for clever cybercriminals.

One common solution was the use of compression tools to create password-protected .ZIP files. But this tactic relied solely on a single password, which could be stolen from the mail server by cunning thieves. Large corporations have typically adopted modern encryption techniques to protect their digital information as they have the resources at their disposal to support such methods. However, for small businesses and home-based workers, encryption is not necessarily a technology they are familiar with or they can readily implement to keep their documents safe within their typical business workflows.

To bridge this gap in technology availability, CodeLock and Licensing Systems (Pty) Ltd., a Wibu-Systems business partner, has developed a data encryption solution, called Encrypter, that is as simple to use as the familiar drag and drop functionality. With Encrypter, users simply drag and drop a file into the app, in any file format (e.g. ZIP, DOC, XLS, PDF, JPEG, etc.), provide a password, and the file is encrypted. The decryption process follows a similarly simple process. Users can also encrypt plain text for the secure transmission of information such as passwords or financial information. The decryption key is highly secure and only users or their authorized recipients have access to it.

Encrypted files can be securely stored on the user’s local computer, on external drives such as USB memory sticks or removable media or can be archived into any cloud storage. Moreover, these encrypted files can be sent to clients and customers via any email client, providing maximum security and confidentiality for sensitive data. Upon receipt of an encrypted file, the receiver must then use Encrypter to decrypt the file, using dual authentication and randomly generated passwords.

The most outstanding difference between this encryption tool and a myriad of other solutions available in the global market is that the Encrypter software package itself is protected by Wibu-Systems secure CodeMeter containers, either a device-bound (CmActLicense) or a dongle-bound (CmDongle) license, which allows for encryption keys to be stored independently of the user’s device. With a CodeMeter dongle, encryption keys can be stored offline for ultra-security. Alternatively, a cloud license (CmCloud) can be used with the encryption keys bound and stored in the cloud, requiring no physical licenses. These licenses ensure that the Encrypter software is protected and can only be accessed by authorized users.

This simple yet powerful encryption technology is readily available to anyone wanting to keep their digital information safe and secure. Learn more.