Aside from getting your data wiped from the face of the earth if your cloud storage provider suddenly drops out from the face of the virtual world, data security is still the number one issue that plagues both personal and enterprise level of data storage.

Putting your files in the cloud makes it easier for you since you can access your files anytime, anywhere but you should also keep in mind that you are making them vulnerable to hacker attacks, i.e. data loss or malware infestation, no matter how secured a service claims they are.  We should never dismiss the fact that security measures provided by cloud storage sites aren’t always enough especially if those are corporate files pertinent to the survival of your company.

Even VMware Senior Manager of Products and Solutions in Asia-Pacific and Japan, Michael Warrilow, knows how important cloud security is and how security is the number weakness of the cloud service.  Dell is not far behind as they recently signed a deal with Qualys Guard that offers a substantial array of protection such as web application scanning, PCI compliance, and policy compliance services.

Other companies are also beefing up their security offerings like the partnership between BullGuard and Commtouch that integrates Commtouch’s Anti-Spam and GlobalViewURL Filtering products to BullGuard’s Internet Security 12.  And Hewlett-Packard launched the ArcSight Express 3.0–the new Fortify Software Security Center product that  tests applications for potential security flaws and Tipping Point Web Application Digital Vaccine, a program that scans network traffic to detect suspicious activities.

It’s not just about arming yourself with anti-virus because a very potent malware can just easily wipe or swipe your data.  It’s about making your data useless to anyone who has no permission to access it because it is encrypted.  You always need to take that extra step to secure your files.

Massachusetts-based Wave Systems Corp., provider of encryption and security solutions, launched the Wave Encryption Service (WES), a cloud-based encryption solution which was designed with the user in mind as it is easy to deploy, manage and enforce.

“Some data protection laws on the state and federal level mandate encryption at the endpoint, no matter how big or small the business or the size of its IT budget,” said Brian Berger, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Wave. “The Wave Encryption Service is designed to provide the same compliance-grade security of an on-premise solution, without the complexity or cost. It can eliminate the need to install or maintain third-party software and can be implemented securely in the Cloud. We believe it is an ideal alternative for the cost-conscious SMB and the enterprise.”

WES allows strong data encryption policies on laptops across the organization, no matter the size, to secure data and meet compliance regulations without the complexity and additional cost associated with an on-premise solution.

WES Supports:

• A variety of client encryption solutions
• Folder-level software encryption
• Microsoft Bitlocker
• Opal self-encrypting drives (SEDs)

Wave Encryption Service features:

• A Web-based unified management console that allows businesses to organize their devices into policy groups
• Support for multiple encryption technologies ranging from Microsoft BitLocker to self-encrypting hard drives (SEDs)
• Pre-configured policy settings, alerts and reports that show compliance on demand
• A centralized management log to meet safe harbor requirements
• An intelligent client agent that: Automatically enrolls target devices; Implements and enforces centralized policy settings even on disconnected devices; and Locks out data based on centrally designated triggers such as hard drive removal
• One-touch service activation helps customers achieve IT security policy compliance in minutes rather than days
• Low-touch deployment that frees organizations to focus on their core business
• Transparency to end users, with no effects on user actions or system performance