Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Calculating the Cost of Full Disk Encryption

Posted by samzenpus on from the cheap-at-half-the-price dept.

CowboyRobot writes "Is full disk encryption (FDE) worth it? A recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute shows that the expected benefits of FDE exceed cost by a factor ranging from 4 to 20, based on a reduction in the probability that data will be compromised as the result of the loss or theft of a digital device. 'After doing all of the math, Ponemon found that the cost of FDE on laptop and desktop computers in the U.S. per year was $235, while the cost savings from reduced data breach exposure was $4,650.'"

5 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. One click for $235 by flyingfsck · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am expensive, but not that expensive. I don't charge a customer $235 to click a full disk encryption check box while installing Fedora Linux. Maybe I should...

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    1. Re:One click for $235 by __aagbwg300 · · Score: 3, Funny

      You think that's bad? I thought it was done by the Pokemon Institute.

  2. Am I the only one that read... by yourtallness · · Score: 5, Funny

    A recent study conducted by the Pokemon Institute... :-P

  3. Re:Share your experiences by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    It would be handy if people could share their experiences with encryption.

    Good, bad, ugly.

    At work: Ugly. People lost entire drives full of super important encrypted data because they keep forgetting pass phrases. Pass phrases for USB drives are shared among multiple people for convenience, making them ineffective. Pass phrases are re-used between different customers, making them ineffective.

    At home: Great. The FBI was not able to decrypt any of my records even though they seized all my drives. Saved my ass.

  4. Re:Depends on the data, doesn't it? by Antarius · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why do we need to encrypt an 18 year old game that has had the source code released? ;-p