As mentioned, data encryption has been big news as of late but not in a way IT professionals would have hoped. From stolen consumer information to sensitive data leaks, it seems that no one’s data has been safe as of late. Data encryption’s ascendancy to the public conscience emerged with the proliferation of a type of malware attack called ransomware.

The effectiveness of data encryption in ransomware also highlights why it should be a cornerstone of any company’s security posture. Given its capability to make data unreadable to those who do not have the key to unlock it, encryption can be a powerful tool for protecting data confidentiality. We are now moving to a world where every piece of data should be encrypted, whether in transit between devices or stored at rest in your servers.

The effects of these attacks have been far reaching—the Equifax breach impacted 145 MM consumers and the recent breach of a top hotel chain resulted in nearly 500 MM consumers’ data being hacked. In addition to these large-scale attacks, companies must also keep in mind that more employees working remotely on a wide range of devices expands the threat landscape.