Shrinking budgets and persistent calls to streamline internal operations are creating a glut of exposed enterprise networks. At the same time, more business executives are becoming IT security conscious, which is leading to a growing interest in encryption technologies to protect critical corporate data.

According to Ken Williams, technical lead for eSecurityOnline, an e-security venture of Ernst & Young, one reason is that firms “face extinction” without ­ effective cryptographic tools. “Cryptographic technology protects data and information - the greatest, most valuable asset in most companies,” he says.

Despite this pervasive interest in cryptographic tools, such as VPNs, desktop protection, XML-related security and more, misunderstandings about just what encryption technologies can do are mounting. Many of them stem from confusion about how various cryptographic technologies can be effectively put to use in corporations.

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