Enterprises that have adopted the cloud are finding that while cloud computing confers very real benefits, it also creates significant security challenges, which traditional network and perimeter security measures are inadequate to address. Organizations must protect their data, rather than their infrastructure, if they use the cloud at all. Cloud data encryption is the answer.

Why cloud data encryption matters

When it comes to security, 2013 was the year of Edward Snowden. The NSA whisteblower exposed a vast, secretive program of systematic electronic surveillance. The implications for the enterprise are disturbing, especially in light of the NSA's infiltration of major cloud service providers' data centers worldwide. And eavesdropping hasn't been the only way that government agencies have gotten their hands on private data. A 2014 transparency agreement led to revelations of tens of thousands of government data requests voluntarily fulfilled by major cloud service providers in the last year alone.

Government spying isn't enterprises' only concern, of course. As more and more sensitive data—much of it protected by data privacy regulations like HIPAA, HITECH, GLBA, and PCI DSS—makes its way into the cloud, the threats of data theft and inadvertent data leakage loom ever larger. Data breaches and compliance violations are serious business. Penalties can hit seven figures, and mandatory breach disclosures can deal catastrophic damage to organization's reputations.

Traditionally, enterprises have sought to secure their data from theft and leakage by locking it down behind a corporate perimeter, keeping it under the enterprise's control and rendering it less vulnerable to access by third parties. These days, however, many companies are finding the on-premises model untenable. Data is proliferating thanks to technology movements like Big Data and the Internet of Things. Meanwhile, mobility and BYOD demand anytime, anywhere access to applications and data. Supporting all these initiatives in-house would cost more than many organizations are willing—or able—to invest, making the cloud an attractive alternative.