Is Your Corporate Data Safe? Discover How Filevault Provides Protection!

Is Your Corporate Data Safe? Discover How Filevault Provides Protection!

Encryption is one of the top solutions when safeguarding enterprise or corporate data. Encryption comes easy for Mac computers because the system’s encryption features are integrated into software and hardware. Furthermore, encrypting data on Mac computers has no major impact on the overall system’s performance.

Once you have used macOS’ encryption features, the data will continue to be protected even if your Mac computer is stolen or lost. The encryption will prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing confidential or sensitive information.

What Is The Importance Of Encryption In Business Settings?

With encryption turned on, you are assured that only authorized individuals will access confidential data. Cryptographic algorithms are employed by encryption tools to scramble the data so it cannot be read without the correct cryptographic key. An administrator or user can encrypt a Mac computer’s individual files, volumes, or folders. But most conversations are around full-disk protections, where FileVault comes in.

If you own a business or work in a big organization, you might be accustomed to handling sensitive data regularly. The data might pertain to financial information, PII, trade secrets, or another type. Working with such confidential data means constantly working in a landscape of threats and risks. Information getting into the wrong hands can prove to be detrimental to your organization. It may result in tarnished reputations, loss of revenue, or lawsuits.

Therefore, corporate data must be safeguarded and encrypted against different threats. Thanks to encryption, your data will remain safe even if your computer is physically compromised.

However, it is important to note that encryption isn’t capable of protecting your corporate data against all threats, such as insecure networks or malware. But, it can decrease the likelihood of sensitive information being compromised if someone malicious gains access to your computer. As such, the best option is to opt for full-disk encryption with FileVault.

If you are still asking should I do FileVault disk encryption, continue reading to understand how this macOS encryption tool works to protect sensitive data.

How Does Filevault Protect Corporate Data?

macOS supports full-disk encryption by including FileVault as one of its in-built security features. This is a tool that offers in-built encryption capabilities for safeguarding at-rest data.

The Mac computers of today automatically encrypt the entire data volume. This is done by default, and the volume encryption key is protected by the hardware UID, which is in the Secure Enclave. For the uninitiated, the Secure Enclave is a system-on-a-chip providing a foundation for storing and generating encryption keys.

Once FileVault is turned on, macOS utilizes a combination of the hardware UID and user password to encrypt the volume. This ensures a much higher level of protection. Without the proper cryptographic recovery key or login credentials, nobody can access or read the volume. The data will be inaccessible to unauthorized individuals even if they remove the SSD and install it on another computer.

FileVault requires users to provide the correct password when booting up the system or after the system has been in screensaver or sleep mode. However, if this security feature is not turned on, anybody can mount the data volume and decrypt it. And this can put all the data stored in the computer at risk.

It is essential to note that FileVault applies to full-disk encryption. It doesn’t encrypt individual files or folders. If you want to encrypt individual files and folders, you can use Disk Utility. This is another in-built security app that creates password-protected .dmg files.

What Other Encryption Features Does Mac Offer Natively?

FileVault is not the only encryption feature natively supported by macOS. Apple computers come with a host of other features that ensure your content is encrypted, including configuration files, application files, and user data like photos, music, and documents.

The way encryption is implemented is based on the system you are using. For instance, Mac computers with T2 security chips offer integrated encryption dependent on hardware-accelerated encryption standard engines. macOS also uses 256-bit keys within the T2 chip.

If you are using a Mac computer with Apple Silicon, the encryption part is handled by the Data Protection component. This component manages and conducts a hierarchy of keys, and the implementation is on a per-file basis. The files are assigned to a class, and the accessibility is determined by the class keys that are unlocked or locked.

Wrapping up

Enterprise or corporate data isn’t safe if you save and store it on your computer and forget about it. Data breaches are increasing daily, and it is your responsibility to protect your data. Luckily, Mac computers come with built-in security features, such as FileVault. Use different tools to encrypt your data and keep it away from prying eyes.

Do you have more information to share about encryption and the importance of protecting corporate data? Leave a comment.