Email messages and their attachments are vulnerable to snooping or misdirection when traveling over the Internet. That’s why confidential information in messages exchanged with clients and partners must be protected.

Email encryption wraps a secure layer around messages and attachments, making them unreadable by anyone except their intended recipients.

Every computer contains a lot of sensitive information its owner wouldn’t want in other people’s hands—whether it’s client or customer data, business or technical plans, or a family’s financial documents. And every computer is vulnerable to being stolen; easily portable laptops are at even greater risk.

Whole disk encryption is an industry best practice to secure data on laptops from the consequences of loss or theft.

Some collections of data are too large to send in an email attachment, but still need to be shared electronically. Files loaded on an FTP or Web server on the Internet may be accessed by more than just the people authorized to share them.

Encrypted ZIP files and self-decrypting archives can secure sensitive data no matter how it’s transferred or stored.

When users put files in the Recycling Bin or even re-install Windows, the files on a computer are not completely deleted. Common data recovery tools such as Norton Utilities can actually undelete confidential files thought to be deleted.

Secure file shredding and disk wiping are the right tools to ensure files are truly erased on a computer.

Today’s portable hard drives and tiny pen flash drives are convenient ways to carry or transfer files. Their small size also makes them easy to mislay or have misappropriated, however.

Encrypting the files stored on portable devices allows users to confidently store anything and take the device anywhere, knowing that confidential data will remain secure.

Instant messaging (IM) is a newer communications format than email, but it is no more secure. Although it is not common to share something as private as a customer database via IM, any information exchanged needs to be protected, even if it’s just when and where to pick up a package.

IM encryption protects the contents of chat sessions, ensuring that private messages stay private.