Windows: What is Smartcrypt Used For?

When organizations obtain, create and use files that contain information determined to be sensitive, whether it’s personal information, intellectual property or financial data; there is a corporate and often regulatory burden to keep that data protected. Protection of the sensitive data is a safeguard to ensure it’s not disclosed to unauthorized individuals, can’t be used if stolen or doesn’t expose confidential or secretive information about the organization, its employees, customers or partners. One of the most effective ways of protecting sensitive data is through encryption.

Encryption is the process Smartcrypt uses to securely protect files, so they can only be viewed in their original form, if decrypted by a user with the correct key. The method of controlling who has access to the file is based on the distribution and sharing of the key used to encrypt the file. Also, different files can be encrypted, using different keys to more specifically control access.

Smartcrypt provides the following options for protecting files:

• Smartkeys – These are encryption / decryption keys that are assigned to individuals or groups with a common need for accessing and sharing certain types of information. Using Smartkeys, any user assigned membership to use a Smartkey can decrypt any file encrypted with the same Smartkey.
• Passphrases – Although significantly less secure than a Smartkey, files can be encrypted using a password. If the file is encrypted with a password the recipient of the file will need access to the password to decrypt and access the file.