Full Disk Encryption Benefits Far Exceed Cost According to Study by Ponemon Institute

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 25, 2012 (Press-News.org) WinMagic Inc., the global innovator in full disk encryption, along with the Ponemon Institute today announced the results of the first ever survey looking into the total cost of ownership of full disk encryption. Key findings in the study (The True Cost for Full Disk Encryption) revealed that when compared to the potential damage caused by data disclosure, the cost of encryption is a fraction of the value it provides to businesses around the world.

The purpose of the study was to learn how organizations are deploying software and hardware full disk encryption solutions for desktop and laptop computers as well as the determination of total cost and benefits for organizations. The Ponemon Institute surveyed 1,335 individuals in IT and IT security in four separate country samples: the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany (DE) and Japan (JP) representing a variety of industry sectors.

"WinMagic has long held the belief that innovative features can help to significantly reduce the cost of deploying and operating full disk encryption, while optimizing compliance and user satisfaction," said Garry McCracken, VP Technology Parnerships at WinMagic Inc. "The study clearly shows that the investment into a leading encryption software solution such as SecureDoc will pay back in less than a year whereas software that is bundled with operating systems or Anti-Malware products might negatively impact the IT budget and user satisfaction."

Key findings from the study include:
- Expected benefits of full disk encryption exceed cost in all four countries by a factor ranging from 4 to 20. In the context of the research, the primary benefit of full disk encryption is a reduction in the probability of having a data breach as a result of a lost or stolen desktop or laptop computer.
- TCO varies by organizational size: The highest TCO is for organizations with fewer than 50 employees ($399) and more than 25,000 employees ($313). The pure software cost (license and maintenance) only represents a small fraction of the total cost of FDE encryption solution.
- Organizations report that more than one-third of their stolen desktops and laptop computers contained unencrypted sensitive information. This is a key justification for laptop encryption.
- The most expensive component of TCO concerns the value of user and IT department time incurred operating encrypted desktops or laptops.

"This study really allowed us to get very granular as it relates to the optimum use of encryption and understanding the total cost of ownership. The results clearly show that the benefits for encryption are extremely compelling" said Dr. Larry Ponemon, Chairman and Founder of the Ponemon Institute.

Overall, the results demonstrate that the user and IT cost of deploying and running a full disk encryption solution is much higher than the pure software cost. This sheds a new light on allegedly "free" encryption solutions that come with operating systems. These may have significantly higher TCO compared to commercial full disk encryption solutions that have a minimal impact on IT processes and end-user productivity.

By using WinMagic's industry leading full-disk encryption solution, SecureDoc, customers are able to reduce the total cost of ownership of encryption while increasing user satisfaction and data security:

- With PBConnex the process for resetting passwords is the same as with an unencrypted machine (for example via Active D
Directory), not requiring complex additional steps as with many other solutions.
- With SecureDoc PBConnex staging is as simple as having the user logon while online with their AD credentials. There is no need to define which user will be using which device upfront.
- With WinMagic's SecureDoc, encryption TCO can be reduced by at least $226,163 per organization per year (based on a business sample size of 7,788 users).
- Savings is based on time reduced on device staging and password reset only! It's only the beginning of what SecureDoc can offer.

The full study summary can be found on WinMagic's web site at www.winmagic.com/ponemonstudy and is free to download.

About the Ponemon Institute
The Ponemon Institute is dedicated to advancing responsible information and privacy management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, the Institute conducts independent research, educates leaders from the private and public sectors, and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organizations in a variety of industries.

About WinMagic Inc.
WinMagic Inc. provides the world's most secure, manageable and easy-to-use data security solutions, including self-encrypting drives, network encryption and server encryption. WinMagic's SecureDoc is a comprehensive encryption and security management product that can manage data security across the enterprise. By encrypting entire disks, specific files or folders locally or on the network as well as mobile devices and removable media, SecureDoc secures your data wherever it is stored, providing enterprise grade data security policy and key management across all operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS, Android and Linux. SecureDoc is trusted by thousands of enterprises and government organizations worldwide. Our solutions help organizations to minimize business risks, meet privacy/regulatory compliance requirements, and protect valuable information assets against unauthorized access. With a full complement of professional and customer services, WinMagic supports over three million SecureDoc users in more than 80 countries.

For more information, please visit www.winmagic.com, call 1-888-879-5879 or e-mail us at info@winmagic.com.