BOSTON, MA--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 11, 2008 -- The use of encryption to protect sensitive data -- whether the data is at rest in back-end systems, in motion on the network, or in use at the endpoints -- is anything but new. A recent research report from Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE:HHS - News), confirms that its application is growing ever more widespread, especially among companies with top performance. "Managing Encryption: The Keys to Your Success" reveals that companies with top performance at managing encryption currently support encryption in about 40% more applications than their counterparts, with about 11.5 times more encryption keys under management. Most importantly, they have done so at a significantly lower total cost: 10% less in absolute terms, 36% less in terms of average cost per encryption-enabled application, and 92% less in terms of average cost per key under management. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5354

"Too often, the desire to safeguard the organization's critical data is seen to be a gating factor, rather than an enabler, to the needs of the business. On the other hand, an overly aggressive drive to expand access to sensitive information can expose the organization to unacceptable levels of risk," said Derek E. Brink, vice president and research fellow for IT Security, Aberdeen. "Companies with Best-in-Class performance in managing encryption have achieved both data access and data protection, supporting higher scale at lower total cost."

Encryption is the process of transforming information into a form that cannot be read without the possession of special knowledge, referred to as a key. The purpose of encryption is to assure the confidentiality of the information, i.e., to ensure that the information remains private from anyone not authorized to read it, even from those who may have access to the encrypted data itself. As the scale of encryption increases, the efficient management of the keys becomes more critical to achieving the company's intertwined objectives for access, data security, compliance, and cost. The "Managing Encryption: The Keys to Your Success" report describes the best practices and cost-efficient approaches to managing the key lifecycle which have led to Best-in-Class results at managing encryption.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: nuBridges; PGP Corporation; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; and Vormetric, Inc. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5354

To view a complimentary 30-minute webcast highlighting key findings from the report, please visit: http://www.brighttalk.com/webcasts/1393/attend

For additional access to complimentary Information Technology Research, please visit http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/Information-Technology/

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen(TM) for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

 
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
http://www.aberdeen.com

     Media Contact:
     Derek E. Brink
     Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
     (617) 854-5254
     Derek.Brink@aberdeen.com