Encryption appliances reviewed - Storage Technology Magazine - Page 1

Encryption appliances reviewed

This hands-on evaluation of three of the top data encryption products reveals differences, both subtle and significant.

WITH DATA LOSS IN THE NEWS SO MUCH LATELY, encryption products are suddenly getting a lot of attention. Storage magazine invited five of the major players--Decru Inc. (now owned by Network Appliance Inc.), Ingrian Networks Inc., Kasten Chase Applied Research Ltd., NeoScale Systems Inc. and Vormetric Inc.--to participate in a review of encryption products. While Decru and Ingrian declined to participate, we were able to review the other three encryption products.

A Comparison of Encryption Products

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    When you register for SearchStorage.com, you’ll also receive targeted emails from my team of award-winning editorial writers. Our goal is to keep you informed on the hottest topics, the latest news and the biggest challenges you face as a storage professional today.

    Rich Castagna, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchStorage.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchStorage.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.
Kasten Chase uses an encryption offload board and agents on each server, and encrypts at the file or folder level. Vormetric uses agents on each server to encrypt selected files or folders on internal or external storage. The NeoScale appliance sits between the server and the SAN, and encrypts all data moving to and from storage.

Kasten Chase's Assurency SecureData Appliance 2.0 and Vormetric's CoreGuard both use an appliance for key storage, policy management and control--data doesn't go through the appliance. With NeoScale's CryptoStor FC, all data passes through the appliance.

There are many similarities among the products. For example, all three allow (and encourage) mirrored devices, as failure of a single encryption system would block access to data. And each product is oriented toward a multitiered security model that permits data access audits and separates operational roles from security and auditor roles. Each system also provides a method of recovering data in case of a complete meltdown of the encryption system, as long as keys have been saved to portable storage.

This was first published in January 2006