How can you customize encryption settings for different users and data types?

3 Data encryption levels

Another way to customize your encryption settings is to choose the level of encryption you want to apply to your data. There are three main levels of encryption: full disk encryption, file-level encryption, and field-level encryption. Full disk encryption encrypts the entire disk or device where the data is stored, and is useful for protecting data at rest from physical theft or loss. File-level encryption encrypts individual files or folders on the disk, and is useful for protecting data at rest from unauthorized access or modification. Field-level encryption encrypts specific fields or columns within a file or database, and is useful for protecting data in transit or in use from interception or leakage.

4 User encryption roles

To customize your encryption settings for different users, you need to define the roles and permissions of the users who interact with the data. There are four main roles involved in data encryption: data owner, data custodian, data user, and key manager. The data owner is the person or entity who has the authority and responsibility for the data, and decides who can access, modify, and encrypt the data. The data custodian is the person or entity who implements and maintains the data encryption methods and tools, and ensures the data security and availability. The data user is the person or entity who accesses and uses the data for various purposes, and follows the data owner's policies and procedures. The key manager is the person or entity who generates, stores, manages, and exchanges the encryption keys, and ensures the key security and usability.

5 User encryption policies

In order to customize your encryption settings for different users, you need to establish and enforce policies and procedures that govern the data encryption process. Such policies might include what data types and levels require encryption, and what encryption methods and tools are allowed or recommended for each data type and level. Additionally, you must determine who can access, modify, and encrypt the data, as well as assign roles and permissions to each user or group of users. Furthermore, you must decide how to generate, store, manage, and exchange the encryption keys, as well as what key management tools and practices are adopted or mandated. You should also consider how to encrypt and decrypt the data, using what encryption and decryption tools and techniques. Finally, you must monitor and audit the data encryption activities, generating or reviewing any relevant encryption and decryption logs and reports.

6 User encryption scenarios

To illustrate how you can customize your encryption settings for different users and data types, here are some hypothetical scenarios. For example, in Scenario 1, a data owner of a customer database containing personal and financial information of clients might use field-level encryption to protect the sensitive fields, assigning a key manager role to a trusted third-party service. In Scenario 2, a data custodian of a file server storing various documents and reports might use full disk encryption, assigning the key manager role to themselves. Lastly, in Scenario 3, a data user of an email system sending and receiving messages and attachments might use file-level encryption with hashing, assigning the key manager role to themselves and granting the data custodian role to their project manager. These scenarios demonstrate how encryption settings can be customized for different users and data types.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?