Step one for developing that strategy is to understand just what data and devices need to be protected. For starters, confidential information should always be encrypted, whether it is on BlackBerrys, laptops or disk. Understanding what data should be encrypted requires getting input from various levels of the business. Mistakes can be lethal to the corporate pocketbook – a survey last year by the Ponemon Institute found a breach cost organizations an average of $197 per compromised record in 2007.

After understanding your data, your next focus should be on the devices.

“One of the more important tasks prior to any encryption is an honest inventory of what devices need protecting,” said John Dasher, director of product management at PGP. 

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