Encrypt files by policy

  Encrypting whole disks or every document can slow a PC's response time, irritating users. Yet, leaving it up to employees to decide what files to encrypt or not can be risky. Dan Beck, director of product management for Voltage Security Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif. says he has a better idea: apply policies to file and document encryption based on who they are. That way, he says, you reduce risk and the compute overhead on PCs. He calls it "identity-based encryption." Last month Voltage unveiled its SecureFile product family that can encrypt Windows documents individually on desktops or in batch mode. And later this spring the company will ship SecureFile module that works with IBM's Lotus Quickr collaboration software. Beck explains that SecureFile integrates with your Active Directory, LDAP or Domino directory servers to grab user rights and privileges. You can base SecureFile's encryption policies on user profiles you've already created in your directories, or, Beck says, you can create granular policies based on a variety of factors such as where the file is stored or whether the document is being e-mailed. Encryption is 128-bit and is certified as Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant. Pricing starts at $50 per user.