# Best Enterprise Encryption Software *By [Brandon Summers-Miller](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/brandon-summers-miller)* Products classified in the overall Encryption category are similar in many regards and help companies of all sizes solve their business problems. However, enterprise business features, pricing, setup, and installation differ from businesses of other sizes, which is why we match buyers to the right Enterprise Business Encryption to fit their needs. Compare product ratings based on reviews from enterprise users or connect with one of G2's buying advisors to find the right solutions within the Enterprise Business Encryption category. In addition to qualifying for inclusion in the Encryption Software category, to qualify for inclusion in the Enterprise Business Encryption Software category, a product must have at least 10 reviews left by a reviewer from an enterprise business. ## How Many Encryption Software Products Does G2 Track? **Total Products under this Category:** 248 ## How Does G2 Rank Encryption Software Products? **Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:** - 30 Analysts and Data Experts - 5,100+ Authentic Reviews - 248+ Products - Unbiased Rankings G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category. --- **Sponsored** ### Cyera Cyera is the world’s leading AI-native data security platform. Its platform gives organizations a complete view of where their data lives, how it’s used, and how to keep it safe, so they can reduce risk and unlock the full value of their data, wherever it is. Backed by more than $1.3 billion in funding from top-tier investors including Accel, Coatue, Cyberstarts, Georgian, Lightspeed, and Sequoia, Cyera’s unified data security platform helps businesses discover, secure, and leverage their most valuable asset - data - and eliminate blind spots, cut alert noise, and protect sensitive information across the cloud, SaaS, databases, AI ecosystems, and on-premise environments. Recent innovations like Cyera’s Omni DLP extend this platform with adaptive, AI-native data loss protection, bringing real-time intelligence and contextual understanding to how data moves and is used across the enterprise. 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[Progress MOVEit](https://www.g2.com/products/progress-moveit/reviews) Progress MOVEit software helps IT operations, enterprise architecture, security and compliance teams automate and secure enterprise file transfers while supporting strict regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, PCI DSS and GDPR. When file transfer volumes grow and oversight requirements tighten, fragmented tools and manual processes can increase operational risk, cause productivity fire drills and add complexity to audit preps. Progress MOVEit Transfer centralizes managed file transfer activity into a single, controlled environment to improve visibility, governance and reliability of mission-critical data flows. Progress MOVEit Cloud extends these capabilities through a fully managed, auditor-certified SaaS deployment that leverages the same documented controls, encryption, detailed audit logging and role-based access without the burden of infrastructure management or software upgrades. Progress MOVEit Automation adds no-code, policy-driven file transfer orchestration that replaces manual scripting, reducing errors that lead to missed SLAs and delays in downstream workflows. MOVEit Automation supports the protocols businesses use today (SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS and more) and seamlessly connects to legacy and cloud endpoints with native connectors. Together, MOVEit Transfer, MOVEit Cloud and MOVEit Automation help regulated organizations or businesses with private data reduce risk, improve operational efficiency and maintain consistent control over data movement. Start your 30-day trial, get a quote, or request more information at www.progress.com/moveit **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 518 **How Do G2 Users Rate Progress MOVEit?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.3/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Progress MOVEit?** - **Seller:** [Progress Software](https://www.g2.com/sellers/progress-software) - **Company Website:** https://www.progress.com/ - **Year Founded:** 1981 - **HQ Location:** Burlington, MA. - **Twitter:** @ProgressSW (48,839 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/progress-software/ (4,207 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Who Uses This:** Software Engineer, System Administrator - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Financial Services - **Company Size:** 40% Mid-Market, 39% Enterprise #### What Are Progress MOVEit's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (59 reviews) - File Transfer (45 reviews) - Automation (36 reviews) - Customer Support (27 reviews) - Features (26 reviews) **Cons:** - Complexity (25 reviews) - Difficult Learning (18 reviews) - Integration Issues (16 reviews) - Security Issues (12 reviews) - Slow Performance (9 reviews) ### 2. [IBM Vault (formerly HashiCorp Vault)](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-vault-formerly-hashicorp-vault/reviews) IBM Vault (formerly HashiCorp Vault) tightly controls access to secrets and encryption keys by authenticating against trusted sources of identity such as Active Directory, LDAP, Kubernetes, CloudFoundry, and cloud platforms. Vault enables fine grained authorization of which users and applications are permitted access to secrets and keys. Some of Vault's main use cases include: - Secrets Management - Identity Brokering - Data Encryption **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 46 **How Do G2 Users Rate IBM Vault (formerly HashiCorp Vault)?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 8.1/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.2/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 0.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind IBM Vault (formerly HashiCorp Vault)?** - **Seller:** [HashiCorp](https://www.g2.com/sellers/hashicorp) - **Company Website:** https://www.hashicorp.com/ - **Year Founded:** 2012 - **HQ Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Twitter:** @hashicorp (102,570 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/2830763/ (2,193 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Computer Software, Information Technology and Services - **Company Size:** 40% Mid-Market, 36% Enterprise #### What Are IBM Vault (formerly HashiCorp Vault)'s Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Customer Support (1 reviews) - Ease of Use (1 reviews) - Easy Integrations (1 reviews) - Easy Management (1 reviews) - Integrations (1 reviews) **Cons:** - Expensive (1 reviews) ### 3. [FileVault](https://www.g2.com/products/filevault/reviews) FileVault is a disk encryption program in Mac OS X 10.3 and later. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 32 **How Do G2 Users Rate FileVault?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) **Who Is the Company Behind FileVault?** - **Seller:** [Apple](https://www.g2.com/sellers/apple) - **Year Founded:** 1976 - **HQ Location:** Cupertino, CA - **Twitter:** @Apple (9,941,952 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/162479/ (180,534 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Ownership:** NASDAQ:AAPL **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Marketing and Advertising - **Company Size:** 37% Small-Business, 34% Enterprise ### 4. [Dell Data Protection](https://www.g2.com/products/dell-data-protection/reviews) Dell Data Protection Suite is a comprehensive software solution designed to safeguard critical data across diverse IT environments, including physical, virtual, and cloud infrastructures. It offers a unified platform for backup, recovery, and management, ensuring data integrity and availability. Key Features and Functionality: - Comprehensive Data Protection: Supports a wide range of applications, databases, and platforms, providing consistent protection across various environments. - Cloud Integration: Facilitates backup to cloud, backup in-cloud, long-term retention, and cloud disaster recovery, enhancing flexibility and scalability. - Advanced Cyber Resilience: Employs machine learning algorithms for anomaly detection, offering proactive defense against cyber threats and ensuring rapid recovery from incidents. - Automated Operations: Features automated policy management and discovery of databases, virtual machines, file systems, and Kubernetes containers, streamlining data protection processes. - Flexible Deployment Options: Offers both on-premises and cloud-based deployment models, catering to the specific needs of organizations of all sizes. Primary Value and User Solutions: Dell Data Protection Suite addresses the critical need for robust data security in an era of increasing cyber threats and complex IT infrastructures. By providing a centralized and automated approach to data protection, it simplifies management, reduces operational overhead, and ensures business continuity. Organizations benefit from enhanced data resilience, compliance with regulatory requirements, and the confidence that their data assets are secure and recoverable in any scenario. **Average Rating:** 4.1/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 18 **How Do G2 Users Rate Dell Data Protection?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 8.1/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Dell Data Protection?** - **Seller:** [Dell Technologies](https://www.g2.com/sellers/dell-technologies-decced23-0884-427d-88d4-718c9d1d4ea6) - **Year Founded:** 1984 - **HQ Location:** Round Rock, TX - **Twitter:** @Dell (796,675 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/delltechnologies/ (123,563 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Ownership:** NYSE: DELL **Who Uses This Product?** - **Company Size:** 62% Enterprise, 43% Mid-Market #### What Are Dell Data Protection's Pros and Cons? **Cons:** - Slow Performance (1 reviews) - Software Instability (1 reviews) ### 5. [Keeper Password Manager](https://www.g2.com/products/keeper-password-manager/reviews) Keeper Security is transforming cybersecurity for millions of individuals and thousands of organizations globally. Built with end-to-end encryption, Keeper's intuitive cybersecurity platform is trusted by Fortune 100 companies to protect every user, on every device, in every location. Our patented zero-trust and zero-knowledge privileged access management solution unifies enterprise password, secrets and connections management with zero-trust network access and endpoint privilege mangement. By combining these critical identity and access management components into a single cloud-based solution, Keeper delivers unparalleled visibility, security and control while ensuring compliance and audit requirements are met. Learn how Keeper can defend your organization against today’s cyber threats at KeeperSecurity.com. **Average Rating:** 4.6/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 1,187 **How Do G2 Users Rate Keeper Password Manager?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 8.5/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 8.0/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Keeper Password Manager?** - **Seller:** [Keeper Security](https://www.g2.com/sellers/keeper-security) - **Company Website:** https://www.keepersecurity.com/ - **Year Founded:** 2011 - **HQ Location:** Chicago, IL - **Twitter:** @keepersecurity (18,949 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/3554342/ (756 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Who Uses This:** IT Manager, Owner - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Financial Services - **Company Size:** 42% Small-Business, 42% Mid-Market #### What Are Keeper Password Manager's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (168 reviews) - Security (128 reviews) - Secure Sharing (88 reviews) - Password Management (87 reviews) - Features (74 reviews) **Cons:** - Password Management (71 reviews) - Autofill Issues (49 reviews) - Login Issues (39 reviews) - Password Issues (34 reviews) - Learning Curve (33 reviews) ### 6. [Symantec Encryption](https://www.g2.com/products/symantec-encryption/reviews) Laptops and removable media devices have provided today’s mobile workforce the freedom to work anywhere. With this freedom comes a greater risk of a data breach through lost or stolen devices. Symantec Endpoint Encryption combines strong full-disk and removable media encryption with centralized management to protect sensitive information and ensure regulatory compliance. Symantec provides maximum protection by encrypting each drive, sector-by-sector, ensuring that all files are encrypted. In addition to protecting laptops and desktops, Endpoint Encryption supports various types of removable media including USB drives, external hard drives, and CD/DVD/Blu-ray media. With Symantec, removable media users can access their data on any Windows or Mac system, even if encryption isn’t installed on the machine. **Average Rating:** 3.7/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 36 **How Do G2 Users Rate Symantec Encryption?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 8.7/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 8.1/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Symantec Encryption?** - **Seller:** [Broadcom](https://www.g2.com/sellers/broadcom-ab3091cd-4724-46a8-ac89-219d6bc8e166) - **Year Founded:** 1991 - **HQ Location:** San Jose, CA - **Twitter:** @broadcom (63,400 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/broadcom/ (55,707 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Ownership:** NASDAQ: CA **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software - **Company Size:** 53% Enterprise, 30% Mid-Market #### What Are Symantec Encryption's Pros and Cons? **Cons:** - Difficult Navigation (1 reviews) ### 7. [Virtru Email Encryption](https://www.g2.com/products/virtru-email-encryption/reviews) Secure data directly from your inbox with Virtru. Users can easily encrypt emails and attachments with just one click, protecting sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property, and other regulated information. Seamlessly integrating with platforms like Gmail and Microsoft Outlook, Virtru empowers organizations to meet compliance requirements for HIPAA, GDPR, CJIS, CMMC 2.0, ITAR and other data privacy regulations, without disrupting existing workflows. Virtru provides full control over email content even after it’s been sent. Users can set expiration dates, revoke access, and track where emails are shared, ensuring total visibility and control over sensitive information. With granular access control and audit trails, Virtru simplifies data protection for enterprises and small businesses alike. Ideal for industries such as healthcare, financial services, government, and education, Virtru empowers your teams to confidently share sensitive information without sacrificing security. **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 403 **How Do G2 Users Rate Virtru Email Encryption?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.3/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Virtru Email Encryption?** - **Seller:** [Virtru](https://www.g2.com/sellers/virtru) - **Company Website:** https://virtru.com - **Year Founded:** 2012 - **HQ Location:** Washington, DC - **Twitter:** @virtruprivacy (1,794 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/virtru/ (229 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Who Uses This:** IT Manager, Administrative Assistant - **Top Industries:** Hospital & Health Care, Health, Wellness and Fitness - **Company Size:** 45% Mid-Market, 37% Small-Business #### What Are Virtru Email Encryption's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Ease of Use (80 reviews) - Security (78 reviews) - Encryption (66 reviews) - Email Encryption (56 reviews) - Secure Communication (45 reviews) **Cons:** - Email Issues (55 reviews) - Email Encryption Issues (44 reviews) - Access Issues (29 reviews) - Encryption Issues (26 reviews) - Access Limitations (20 reviews) ### 8. [Signal](https://www.g2.com/products/open-whisper-systems-signal/reviews) Signal is a privacy-focused messaging application that offers end-to-end encrypted communication for text messages, voice calls, and video calls. Designed to prioritize user security, Signal ensures that only the intended recipients can access the content of the communications, safeguarding against potential eavesdropping by third parties. The app is available across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users. Key Features and Functionality: - End-to-End Encryption: Utilizes the Signal Protocol to encrypt messages, voice calls, and video calls, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can access the content. - Secure Voice and Video Calls: Provides encrypted voice and video calling capabilities, including group calls, maintaining privacy across all communication channels. - No Data Collection: Operates without collecting user metadata, such as contact lists or communication logs, enhancing user privacy. - Disappearing Messages: Offers a feature where messages can be set to automatically delete after a specified time, adding an extra layer of security. - Open-Source Code: Maintains transparency by making its source code publicly available, allowing for independent security audits and fostering trust among users. Primary Value and User Solutions: Signal addresses the growing concern over digital privacy by providing a secure platform for personal and professional communication. By implementing robust encryption and minimizing data collection, it ensures that users can communicate without fear of surveillance or data breaches. This is particularly valuable for individuals and organizations that handle sensitive information and require a trustworthy communication tool to maintain confidentiality. **Average Rating:** 4.4/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 447 **How Do G2 Users Rate Signal?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 8.8/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Signal?** - **Seller:** [Signal](https://www.g2.com/sellers/signal-86a5fae3-be96-4a40-8b50-4f5fd2b6cbfb) - **Year Founded:** 2013 - **HQ Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Twitter:** @signalapp (614,727 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/signal-messenger/ (107 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Who Uses This:** Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software - **Company Size:** 69% Small-Business, 22% Mid-Market #### What Are Signal's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Security (53 reviews) - Ease of Use (33 reviews) - User Interface (17 reviews) - Features (15 reviews) - Communication (12 reviews) **Cons:** - Missing Features (14 reviews) - File Sharing Issues (7 reviews) - Connectivity Issues (5 reviews) - Learning Curve (4 reviews) - Limited Features (4 reviews) ### 9. [Kaspersky Next Optimum](https://www.g2.com/products/kaspersky-next-optimum/reviews) Kaspersky Next Optimum is the ideal choice for small and mid-sized businesses with lean cybersecurity teams. The offering is uniting in itself with strong endpoint protection, essential detection and response capabilities (EDR), and a seamless upgrade to XDR and MXDR for sophisticated cybersecurity. Layers of Kaspersky Next Optimum: • Kaspersky Next EDR Foundations – Powerful ML-based EPP, flexible security controls and EDR root cause analysis tools equip you with the most straightforward way to build a strong foundation for your cybersecurity. • Kaspersky Next EDR Optimum – Combines strong endpoint protection with enhanced controls, patch and encryption management, training for IT staff, cloud security and more – all boosted by essential EDR functionality to help you deflect attacks rapidly, with minimal demand on your resources. • Kaspersky Next XDR Optimum – In addition to exceptional EPP and automatic response capabilities that help identify, analyze and neutralize evasive threats, the solution gives you affordable, user-friendly detection and response tools that go beyond endpoints, as well as access to our online learning platform to raise the security awareness of your employees. • Kaspersky Next MXDR Optimum – Get expert-managed protection against sophisticated threats, delivered by Kaspersky’s globally renowned SOC experts with 24/7 infrastructure monitoring – while keeping essential XDR capabilities in-house. **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 195 **How Do G2 Users Rate Kaspersky Next Optimum?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 8.2/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind Kaspersky Next Optimum?** - **Seller:** [Kaspersky](https://www.g2.com/sellers/kaspersky-bce2dc7f-2586-4e87-96da-114de2c40584) - **Year Founded:** 1997 - **HQ Location:** Moscow - **Twitter:** @kasperskylabind (1,294 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaspersky/ (4,494 employees on LinkedIn®) - **Phone:** 1-866-328-5700 **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Information Technology and Services, Computer Software - **Company Size:** 47% Mid-Market, 33% Small-Business #### What Are Kaspersky Next Optimum's Pros and Cons? **Pros:** - Blocking (5 reviews) - Ease of Use (5 reviews) - Threat Protection (5 reviews) - Protection (4 reviews) - Threat Detection (4 reviews) **Cons:** - High Resource Usage (6 reviews) - Slow Performance (5 reviews) - Compatibility Issues (2 reviews) - Complex Setup (2 reviews) - Difficult Configuration (2 reviews) ### 10. [VeraCrypt](https://www.g2.com/products/veracrypt/reviews) VeraCrypt is a free open source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 50 **How Do G2 Users Rate VeraCrypt?** - **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?:** 6.7/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Data Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 9.3/10) - **Document Encryption:** 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.9/10) - **Policy Enforcement:** 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.8/10) **Who Is the Company Behind VeraCrypt?** - **Seller:** [VeraCrypt](https://www.g2.com/sellers/veracrypt) - **HQ Location:** Paris - **Twitter:** @VeraCrypt_IDRIX (4,954 Twitter followers) - **LinkedIn® Page:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/veracrypt/about/ (1 employees on LinkedIn®) **Who Uses This Product?** - **Top Industries:** Computer Software - **Company Size:** 43% Enterprise, 35% Mid-Market ## What Is Encryption Software? [Confidentiality Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/confidentiality) ## What Software Categories Are Similar to Encryption Software? - [Data Masking Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-masking) - [Cloud Data Security Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/cloud-data-security) - [Data De-Identification Tools](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-de-identification) --- ## How Do You Choose the Right Encryption Software? ### What You Should Know About Encryption Software ### What is Encryption Software? Companies use encryption software to protect the confidentiality of their data, ensure that only intended parties can access the data, and reduce their liability if the data is inadvertently exposed or hacked.  At a basic level, encryption software protects data by converting normal data into scrambled, unintelligible data that is rendered unusable to others. Most commonly, companies use encryption software to protect sensitive data such as their customers’ personally identifiable information (PII), proprietary company data such as trade secrets, and communications such as company emails or business instant messaging. Encryption can be applied to files, folders, disks, other storage products including cloud storage, and for secure communications such as transferring data over networks.  Encryption has historically been used for protecting military communications, however, with the rise of the internet and online storage, many companies use encryption to protect corporate assets, as well. Particularly with the increasing cyber threats and requirements from data protection and data privacy regulations, more and more companies are using encryption software to protect their data and reduce risks and liability in the event the data is lost or stolen. In fact, many data privacy regulations specifically cite properly encrypted data as sufficiently protected and therefore either out of scope of the regulation or subject to less intensive regulatory scrutiny.  Encryption software works by using modern cryptography methods to convert data from legible plaintext to unintelligible ciphertext using a pair of cryptographic keys. The original data is converted from plaintext to ciphertext using an encoding key known as a cipher, while the permissioned recipient of the data would use the corresponding decoding key to decrypt the data in order to return it to usable plaintext. Without the appropriate decryption key, the data is virtually unusable by interceptors or other non permissioned parties.  Cryptographic keys to both encode and decode encrypted data come as either symmetric or asymmetric keys. With symmetric keys, the key used to encode the data is the same key needed to decode it. This requires the key itself to be closely guarded.  With asymmetric keys, however, the two keys are different—one key is a public key and the other key is a private key. A public key can be openly distributed to other parties, while the private key should be closely protected by its owner. A message can be encrypted using a recipient’s public key of the key pair, while only the recipient’s private key has the ability to decrypt it. Companies can protect and manage their encryption keys by utilizing [encryption key management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption-key-management) solutions. #### What Types of Encryption Software Exist? Encryption software can be used to protect data at rest, such as data stored in files and folders, data in transit, such as data being transferred over networks or mobile devices, and more recently data in use, particularly when processing data stored in cloud storage. **Encryption for data at rest** Data at rest is data that is in storage and is not actively being used. This data can be stored on physical storage devices, in databases, data warehouses, on mobile devices, laptops, other endpoints, and in cloud storage. Data encryption software is used to protect this data from being accessed, modified, or stolen while at rest. Common types of encryption solutions for these include file encryption, folder encryption, database encryption, full-disk encryption, hard drive encryption, USB encryption, application encryption, and other storage encryption. **Encryption for data in transit** Data in transit is data that is traveling over networks like the internet, internal corporate networks like corporate local area networks (LAN), and mobile networks. Data in transit is sometimes referred to as data in motion, as well. Encryption is used for data in transit to prevent plaintext data from being intercepted by unauthorized persons like hackers. If the data is encrypted and intercepted while in transit, the data has little or no value to the party that intercepted it. Common types of encryption solutions for data in transit include network encryption, mobile data encryption, and website encryption. **Encryption for data in use** Risks to data in use are becoming more prevalent as more companies employ cloud computing resources to analyze data. Previously, unencrypted data was most at risk of interception or unauthorized disclosure during states of transit or at rest, but with greater use of processing in cloud computing, data can become susceptible to inappropriate disclosure or leaks during processing, as well. To address this risk, companies are beginning to utilize a technique known as homomorphic encryption.  Homomorphic encryption allows the processing of data while it remains encrypted; homomorphic encryption does not require the dataset to be decrypted prior to processing. Companies can store encrypted data in the cloud, run operations on that encrypted data without decrypting it, and the results of that computation will remain in an encrypted format, requiring the same encryption key to decrypt the computational results as would be needed to decrypt the initial data set.   ### What are the Common Features of Encryption Software? The following are some core features within encryption software that can help users: **Encryption layer** : Encryption software may be tailored to the medium needing to be encrypted. Specific encryption software can include solutions for full-disk encryption, file encryption, database encryption, data encryption, application encryption, endpoint encryption, network encryption, email encryption, and other communication encryption.   **Encryption key management** : Some encryption software solutions include encryption key management functions within their offerings. Encryption key management software handles the administration, distribution, and secure storage of encryption keys.  **Encryption algorithms** : There are many encryption algorithms available with different strengths and speeds. One of the most common encryption algorithms is the Advanced Encryption Standards (AES), which is used by the US military, known as military-grade encryption. The most common AES encryption types are AES-128 encryption or AES-256 bit encryption, known as military-grade encryption. Other common encryption algorithms include Rivest–Shamir–Adleman or RSA algorithm, Triple Data Encryption Standard (TripleDES), Blowfish encryption algorithm, Twofish encryption algorithm, the international data encryption algorithm (IDEA), and more.  ### What are the Benefits of Encryption Software? Encryption software helps companies meet regulatory compliance and operationalize their data security models. In particular, encryption technology can help companies achieve parts of the CIA triad, which stands for confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, a commonly used security model.  **Confidentiality** : One of the primary use cases for using encryption software is to protect the confidentiality of data, particularly sensitive data like PII. In the event that data is intercepted by an unsanctioned party, encrypted data is rendered virtually useless.  **Integrity** : In addition to protecting the confidentiality of data, it is important for companies to trust that the data has not been tampered with, particularly when data is in transit. Encryption helps ensure that data has not been deleted or modified by unauthorized parties as it moves. **Reduced legal risk or compliance:** Many data privacy and data protection regulations specifically cite encrypted data as sufficiently secured and subject to no or less stringent regulatory measures. Encryption can be particularly useful for working with datasets such as PII, protected health information (PHI), and payment card industry (PCI) data. ### Who Uses Encryption Software? **Information security (InfoSec) professionals**: Individuals working to secure websites, [application security](https://www.g2.com/categories/application-security), and [network security](https://www.g2.com/categories/network-security) often choose encryption solutions to increase the effectiveness of security professionals. Encryption tools can add an additional level of security to virtually any IT infrastructure solution. The tools make it harder for hackers to penetrate networks or gain access to sensitive data. Encrypted files and encrypted data are also more difficult and less useful to hackers since they can’t actually view data without deciphering it first. **Data professionals:** Encryption software allows database managers to create access standards and perform security tests to audit existing security. Many databases can store encrypted data in [backup software](https://www.g2.com/categories/backup) in the case of a disaster for easy, secure recovery. [Mobile data security software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mobile-data-security) provides similar features but adds increased security for mobile devices, communications, and authentication.  #### Software Related to Encryption Software Related solutions that can be used together with encrypting software include: [Email encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/email-encryption) **:** Email encryption technology is used to transform and secure information traveling through an email server. These tools ensure data in transit remains secure until the authorized party is identified to prevent emails from ending up in the wrong hands. Email encryption can be useful in any industry but is a requirement for others. Medical records and government data are both examples of information that must be encrypted before being shared. [Encryption key management software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption-key-management) **:** Encryption key management software is used to handle the administration, distribution, and storage of encryption keys.  [Sensitive data discovery software](https://www.g2.com/categories/sensitive-data-discovery) **:** Sensitive data discovery software helps businesses locate sensitive data—such as PII, PHI, PCI data, intellectual property (IP), and other important business data—stored across multiple company systems including databases and applications, as well as on user endpoints. [Data de-identification and pseudonymity software](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-de-identification-and-pseudonymity) **:** De-identification and pseudonymity software replaces personal identifying data in datasets with artificial identifiers, or pseudonyms. Companies choose to de-identify or pseudonymize (also called tokenize) their data to reduce their risk of holding PII and comply with privacy and data protection laws such as the CCPA and GDPR.  [Data masking software](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-masking) **:** Data masking software, or data obfuscation software, is similar to but different from data de-identification and pseudonymity software. With data masking, sensitive data retains its actual identifying features (such as age range and zip code), but masks (or redacts, blanks, or hashes) identifying information such as name, addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive data. It is possible to remove the data mask and reidentify the data. Data masking is often used as a way companies maintain sensitive data, but prevent misuse of data by employees or insider threats. [Digital rights management (DRM) software](https://www.g2.com/categories/digital-rights-management-drm) **:** DRM software provides users with a variety of features intended to safeguard their content and ensure it is accessed within their designated parameters. Businesses are constantly sharing files internally and externally, and many others share branded assets or host media files regularly. DRM solutions protect the content shared or hosted by businesses and ensure it’s only used in the way originally intended. DRM software can provide features like watermarking and timed expiration for shared documents, and subscription and license management for media files.  [Virtual private network (VPN) software](https://www.g2.com/categories/virtual-private-network-vpn) **:** VPNs enable users to connect to private, secure networks. Companies utilize corporate VPNs to provide their employees with secure, encrypted, and remote access to the company’s internal network. This enables employees to access applications, files, printers, and other corporate resources on the corporate network as if they were at the office. [Password manager software](https://www.g2.com/categories/password-manager) **:** Password managers store and control a user's passwords through either an encrypted vault downloaded to a user’s computer or mobile device, or digitally through browser plugins or extensions. These solutions often require multi-factor authentication prior to accessing the filevault where passwords are stored with a folder lock. Password manager solutions are often cross-platform and operate on PCs, Mac, Android, iPhone, ioS, and other devices. ### Challenges with Encryption Software **Performance** : Strong encryption requires more resources. It is important for companies to carefully weigh the strength of their encryption algorithms against the computational resources they have and the speed needed to encrypt and decrypt their data. The more secure the encryption algorithms are, the more computation power needed for them.  **Quantum computing** : An emerging threat to encryption is quantum computing. Encrypting today is generally secure because the possible combinations for the decrypting encryption keys are so vast that in practice, it is virtually impossible to guess and test that many combinations. For example, decrypting an RSA-2048 bit encryption key, which has 2^2048 distinct numbers, is estimated to take a classical computer 300 trillion years. With the vast computing power of quantum computers, however, it is theorized that cracking an RSA-2048 bit encryption key could take as little as ten seconds to a few hours. As of now, quantum computers are not available for general use in the market, so the risk in practice is low, but theoretically, it does exist. ### Which Companies Should Buy Encryption Software? All companies can benefit from safeguarding their data using encryption software, however, companies in regulated markets, such as healthcare, financial services, and those handling PII and other sensitive data should use encryption software as part of their information security practices.  ### How to Buy Encryption Software #### Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Encryption Software Companies must determine their specific encryption program's needs; what kind of data they are trying to secure—data at rest, data in transit, or data in use and what type of sensitive information, sensitive files, and other secure files do they need to protect. Buyers must have answers to the following questions when selecting encryption software for their business: - Do you have individual files, specific storage types, or networks that you are seeking to secure?  - Do you want an open-source solution?  - Do you need a free version?  - Do you prioritize encryption strength over speed?  - Do you have the right computational resources to support your encryption method?  - Do regulations in your industry recommend specific encryption algorithms?  #### Compare Encryption Software Products **Create a long list** After determining the specific business needs, buyers must create a long list of products that can meet their company’s unique requirements. G2.com’s [encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption)page compares encryption software solutions with reviews from verified users of encryption software to assist in narrowing the product search.  **Create a short list** After reviewing the long list, businesses should narrow their choices of products that can meet the company’s unique requirements by reading reports for that category of software. G2.com’s reports for [encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption)helps compare how users of encryption software solutions rated these products. **Conduct demos** The next step includes contacting vendors to conduct demos of their solutions. Buyers must ask them questions about their solution, how they’ve assisted other similar companies, and how they answer the list of company-specific questions regarding encryption strength, speed, medium, and so on.   #### Selection of the Best Encryption software **Choose a selection team** It is important to include day-to-day users of encryption software on the selection team. Typically, this would be an InfoSec professional, an information technology (IT) professional, or a data professional. In a regulated industry, it is important to include representatives from the team’s compliance or legal departments on the selection team, as well.  **Negotiation** The cost of encryption software can vary greatly depending on what the buyer is trying to secure, the volume of data, and any other solutions the buyer may want in conjunction with encryption software, such as sensitive data discovery.  **Final decision** Since encryption software is a data security product, the final product decision will likely be made by information security teams and data professionals, in conjunction with collaborating with business stakeholders to ensure the solution meets both the business’ security needs and the usefulness of accessing the data.