Data Encryption

In an era where data breaches make headlines weekly and regulatory penalties for inadequate data protection reach millions of euros, encryption has evolved from optional security enhancement to essential business requirement.
Complete Guide to Protecting Data at Rest, in Transit, and in Use

Introduction to Data Encryption

Belgian enterprises handling customer information, financial data, intellectual property, or any sensitive information face legal obligations under GDPR and business imperatives to protect data throughout its entire lifecycle—whether stored on servers, transmitted across networks, or actively processed in memory.
Data encryption transforms readable information into unreadable ciphertext using mathematical algorithms and cryptographic keys, ensuring that even if unauthorized parties intercept or access encrypted data, they cannot decipher its contents without proper decryption keys. This fundamental security control provides the last line of defense when other protections fail—if attackers bypass firewalls, compromise accounts, or steal storage devices, properly encrypted data remains protected.
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legal safeguard

Data Encryption

For Belgian businesses navigating stringent GDPR requirements, encryption represents both a legal safeguard and a business enabler. Article 32 of GDPR explicitly mentions encryption as an appropriate technical measure for ensuring data security, and the Belgian Data Protection Authority recognizes encryption’s role in demonstrating accountability and reducing breach notification obligations when encrypted data is compromised. Beyond compliance, encryption enables secure cloud adoption, protects mobile devices, secures remote work environments, and provides assurance to customers and partners about data protection commitment.
This comprehensive guide explores data encryption across three critical states—at rest, in transit, and in use—providing Belgian organizations with technical knowledge, implementation strategies, and best practices for building comprehensive encryption programs protecting data throughout its lifecycle.

Understanding Data States and Encryption Fundamentals

The Three Data States

Data exists in three distinct states during its lifecycle, each requiring specific encryption approaches and technologies.

Data at Rest refers to information stored persistently on physical or virtual storage media including files on hard drives or SSDs, database records, backup archives, cloud storage objects, and mobile device storage. At-rest data remains relatively stable, residing in specific locations for extended periods, making it a consistent target for attackers seeking to exfiltrate large volumes of information through storage theft, backup compromise, or unauthorized database access.
Data in Transit encompasses information moving across networks between systems, applications, or locations including website traffic between browsers and servers, email messages traveling across internet infrastructure, file transfers between offices or cloud services, API communications between applications, and remote access sessions connecting users to corporate systems. In-transit data faces interception risks as it traverses untrusted networks where attackers can eavesdrop, capture packets, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks.
Data in Use represents information actively being processed in computer memory, CPU registers, or application runtime environments. This includes data loaded into RAM during processing, information displayed on screens, values in application variables during calculations, and temporary files created during operations. Traditionally the most vulnerable data state, in-use data has historically remained unencrypted due to processing requirements, though emerging technologies increasingly enable encryption even during active use.

Encryption Fundamentals

Modern encryption relies on sophisticated mathematical algorithms transforming plaintext into ciphertext using cryptographic keys. Two fundamental encryption approaches serve different purposes across data protection scenarios.

Symmetric Encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption, providing fast, efficient encryption suitable for large data volumes. Algorithms like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256-bit keys represent the gold standard for symmetric encryption, offering strong security with excellent performance. Belgian organizations typically employ symmetric encryption for data at rest and bulk data in transit due to processing efficiency.
Asymmetric Encryption utilizes key pairs—public keys for encryption and private keys for decryption—enabling scenarios where multiple parties need to send encrypted data to a single recipient without sharing decryption capabilities. RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) provide asymmetric encryption with varying performance and security characteristics. Asymmetric encryption commonly secures communication setup in protocols like TLS/SSL, with symmetric encryption handling bulk data transfer after secure channels establish.
Key Management represents the critical challenge in all encryption implementations. Keys must be generated securely using cryptographic random number generators, stored protected from unauthorized access, rotated periodically to limit exposure from potential compromise, and destroyed securely when no longer needed. Belgian businesses should implement formal key management practices including hardware security modules (HSMs) for high-value keys, key management services from cloud providers, and documented procedures for key lifecycle management.
threat scenarios

Data Encryption at Rest

Why Encrypt Data at Rest?

Storage encryption protects against numerous threat scenarios including physical theft of servers, laptops, or backup media; unauthorized database access through compromised credentials; insider threats from malicious employees or contractors; cloud storage breaches exposing customer data; and decommissioned storage devices improperly sanitized.

For Belgian organizations, at-rest encryption addresses GDPR technical requirements while reducing breach notification obligations. When properly encrypted data is stolen but encryption keys remain secure, the breach may not constitute a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms, potentially exempting organizations from notification requirements to authorities and affected individuals.

Technologies for Data at Rest Encryption

Full Disk Encryption (FDE) protects entire storage devices, encrypting all data automatically without requiring application or user intervention. Technologies like BitLocker for Windows, FileVault for macOS, and LUKS for Linux provide operating system-level encryption securing desktops, laptops, and servers. Belgian businesses should mandate FDE on all mobile devices and laptops to protect against theft or loss—a common cause of data breaches.

FDE advantages include transparency to users and applications, comprehensive protection of all files and temporary data, and minimal performance impact with modern processors supporting AES acceleration. Limitations include vulnerability when devices are powered on and unlocked, and inability to provide granular access controls or sharing capabilities.
Belgian businesses handling personal data in databases should implement appropriate database encryption, particularly for fields containing special categories of personal data under GDPR—health information, biometric data, or other sensitive attributes. Database encryption prevents unauthorized access even by database administrators when properly implemented with separated key management.
File and Folder Encryption enables selective protection of specific files or directories, useful for protecting particularly sensitive documents while leaving less sensitive data unencrypted. Tools range from operating system features like Windows EFS to enterprise data loss prevention solutions providing centralized management and policy enforcement.
Cloud Storage Encryption protects data stored in cloud services through either provider-managed encryption where cloud providers encrypt data using their keys, or customer-managed encryption where organizations retain control over encryption keys. Belgian businesses should carefully evaluate cloud encryption options, considering data sovereignty implications and key control requirements under GDPR.
Application-Level Encryption embeds encryption within applications, providing flexibility and control over exactly what data gets encrypted and how keys are managed. This approach enables encryption before data leaves application control, protecting information throughout its journey through various infrastructure layers.

Implementation Best Practices for At-Rest Encryption

Belgian organizations implementing at-rest encryption should follow several critical practices including encrypting all sensitive data by default rather than selectively choosing what to protect; using strong encryption algorithms—AES-256 for symmetric encryption represents current best practice; implementing proper key management with keys stored separately from encrypted data; enabling encryption on all mobile devices and laptops protecting against physical loss; encrypting backup media ensuring historical data receives equivalent protection; and documenting encryption implementations for compliance demonstrations.

Performance considerations matter less today than historically. Modern processors include AES acceleration instructions making encryption overhead negligible for most use cases. Belgian businesses should measure actual performance impact rather than assuming encryption creates unacceptable overhead.
Data Encryption in Transit

Data Encryption in Transit

Comprehensive Salesforce backup strategies protect all critical data types and metadata across the platform.

Why Encrypt Data in Transit?

Network traffic faces interception risks as data traverses untrusted networks including internet connections between offices and cloud services, public Wi-Fi networks in airports or cafes, ISP infrastructure potentially subject to surveillance, and compromised network infrastructure from attackers gaining access to routers or switches.

Belgian organizations enabling remote work, utilizing cloud services, or conducting e-commerce must encrypt data in transit to protect confidentiality and integrity against eavesdropping and tampering attacks.

Implementation Best Practices for In-Transit Encryption

Effective in-transit encryption requires mandating encrypted protocols organization-wide and disabling legacy unencrypted alternatives; implementing perfect forward secrecy ensuring past communications remain secure even if encryption keys are later compromised; using strong cipher suites avoiding weak or deprecated algorithms; implementing certificate pinning for critical connections preventing man-in-the-middle attacks; and monitoring for unencrypted traffic identifying policy violations or misconfigurations.

Belgian businesses should audit network traffic regularly, identifying any unencrypted sensitive data transmission and remediating through protocol upgrades or architecture changes.

Knowledge

Technologies for Data in Transit Encryption

TLS/SSL (Transport Layer Security) represents the foundation for encrypting internet communications, protecting web traffic (HTTPS), email transmission (SMTPS, IMAPS), and API communications. TLS establishes encrypted channels between clients and servers using asymmetric encryption for initial handshake and symmetric encryption for data transfer.
Belgian businesses should mandate TLS 1.2 or 1.3 for all web services, APIs, and email systems, disabling older, vulnerable protocols like SSL 3.0 or TLS 1.0. Certificate management requires attention—ensure certificates come from trusted certificate authorities, implement proper certificate renewal processes, and monitor for expiring certificates preventing service disruptions.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) technologies encrypt all traffic between endpoints, creating secure tunnels across untrusted networks. Site-to-site VPNs connect offices or data centers, while remote access VPNs protect mobile workers connecting from homes or public networks. Technologies include IPsec for network-level encryption, SSL/TLS VPNs for application-level security, and modern WireGuard providing simplified, performant alternatives.
Email Encryption protects message confidentiality through S/MIME or PGP/GPG for end-to-end email encryption, TLS for transport encryption between mail servers, and gateway encryption solutions providing organizational email security. Belgian businesses handling sensitive communications should implement appropriate email encryption, particularly for industries like healthcare, legal, or finance where confidentiality requirements are stringent.
SSH (Secure Shell) encrypts remote administration sessions, protecting credentials and commands from interception. System administrators accessing Belgian business servers should always use SSH rather than unencrypted protocols like Telnet or FTP.
File Transfer Encryption protects data during transfer through SFTP or SCP for encrypted file transfer over SSH, FTPS adding TLS encryption to FTP, and HTTPS-based file transfer through web portals. Legacy unencrypted FTP should be disabled across Belgian business networks.
Data Protection

Data Encryption in Use

The Challenge of In-Use Data Protection

Historically, data required decryption before processing, creating vulnerability windows where information existed in cleartext in memory, CPU caches, or temporary files. Attackers compromising systems could dump memory contents, capture screenshots, or access temporary files during processing, bypassing at-rest and in-transit encryption.

This limitation particularly affects cloud computing where Belgian businesses may hesitate entrusting sensitive data to cloud providers due to concerns about privileged administrator access or government jurisdiction over cloud infrastructure.

Emerging Technologies for In-Use Encryption

Confidential Computing represents breakthrough technology enabling data encryption even during active processing. Technologies like Intel SGX, AMD SEV, and ARM TrustZone create secure enclaves—protected memory regions isolated even from operating systems and hypervisors—where data can be decrypted and processed while remaining inaccessible to other system components.

Belgian businesses can leverage confidential computing for processing sensitive data in cloud environments while maintaining strong confidentiality guarantees against cloud providers or other tenants.
Homomorphic Encryption enables computations on encrypted data without decryption, producing encrypted results that decrypt to correct answers. While still emerging and computationally intensive, homomorphic encryption promises revolutionary applications including privacy-preserving analytics, secure cloud computing, and confidential machine learning.
Secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC) enables multiple parties to jointly compute functions over their inputs while keeping those inputs private. Belgian businesses can leverage MPC for collaborative analytics, shared risk assessment, or multi-organization computations without exposing proprietary data.

Practical In-Use Protection Strategies

While advanced encryption technologies mature, Belgian organizations can implement practical measures protecting in-use data including memory encryption using processor features encrypting RAM contents; application-level controls minimizing in-memory plaintext exposure; screen privacy filters preventing visual eavesdropping; secure coding practices avoiding plaintext logging or temporary files; and endpoint security solutions monitoring for memory scraping or screen capture malware.

Compliance

GDPR Compliance and Encryption

Encryption in GDPR Context

GDPR Article 32 requires appropriate technical and organizational measures ensuring data security, explicitly mentioning encryption of personal data. The Belgian Data Protection Authority recognizes encryption as demonstrating accountability and implementing appropriate safeguards.

Encryption provides multiple GDPR benefits including reducing breach notification obligations when encrypted data is compromised with secure key management; supporting data minimization by enabling pseudonymization; facilitating international data transfers when encryption protects data adequately; and demonstrating security-by-design fulfilling GDPR requirements.

When Encryption is Mandatory vs. Recommended

While GDPR doesn't mandate encryption universally, certain scenarios make encryption practically essential including special categories of personal data (health, biometric, genetic); data transmitted across untrusted networks; mobile devices and laptops; backup and archive storage; and cloud storage of personal data.

Belgian businesses should conduct data protection impact assessments identifying where encryption appropriately mitigates risks to data subjects’ rights and freedoms.
Organizations

Implementation Roadmap for Belgian Businesses

Implementing Salesforce backup effectively requires adherence to proven practices.

Phase 1: Critical Data Protection (0-3 Months)

Start with highest-impact, lowest-complexity encryption including full disk encryption on all laptops and mobile devices, TLS/SSL for all web applications and APIs, VPN for remote worker access, and database encryption for systems containing sensitive personal data.

Phase 2: Comprehensive Coverage (3-9 Months)

Expand encryption systematically across infrastructure including backup encryption, email encryption for sensitive communications, file server encryption, and cloud storage encryption with customer-managed keys.

Phase 3: Advanced Capabilities (9-18 Months)

Implement sophisticated encryption for specialized requirements including confidential computing for sensitive cloud workloads, application-level encryption for granular control, and key management infrastructure with HSMs.

Key Management Strategy

Establish formal key management including key generation using cryptographic random number generators, secure storage in HSMs or key management services, regular key rotation, audit logging of key access, and documented recovery procedures for key loss scenarios.

Measuring Encryption Program Success

Belgian organizations should track encryption coverage measuring percentage of sensitive data encrypted, compliance with encryption policies, key management maturity, and incident response improvements from encryption protection.

Performance monitoring ensures encryption doesn't degrade user experience unacceptably, tracking application response times, throughput metrics, and user satisfaction scores.

advanced features

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Sophisticated implementations incorporate advanced features enhancing protection and operational value.

Poor Key Management

Encryption effectiveness depends entirely on key security. Belgian businesses should never store keys with encrypted data, implement key rotation, use HSMs for critical keys, and maintain documented key management procedures.

Weak Algorithms

Using outdated or weak encryption algorithms provides false security. Implement current best practices—AES-256 for symmetric encryption, RSA 2048-bit minimum or ECC for asymmetric, TLS 1.2+ for transport.

Incomplete Coverage

Encrypting some data while leaving other sensitive information unprotected creates gaps attackers exploit. Implement systematic encryption across all sensitive data states.

Neglecting Performance Testing

Assuming encryption creates unacceptable overhead prevents adoption. Test actual performance impact before rejecting encryption—modern hardware makes most encryption transparent.

Future of Data Encryption

Quantum-Resistant Cryptography

Quantum computing threatens current encryption algorithms. Belgian businesses should monitor post-quantum cryptography developments, preparing for eventual algorithm transitions ensuring long-term data protection.

Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Emerging technologies like homomorphic encryption, secure enclaves, and zero-knowledge proofs enable new privacy-preserving applications Belgian businesses can leverage for competitive advantage.

Conclusion

Comprehensive data encryption protecting

information at rest, in transit, and increasingly in use represents essential security infrastructure for Belgian enterprises navigating threat landscapes, GDPR obligations, and digital transformation imperatives. By systematically implementing encryption across data states, establishing robust key management, and following best practices, Belgian organizations build defense-in-depth protecting data even when other controls fail.
Encryption transforms potential catastrophic breaches into manageable incidents, reduces GDPR notification obligations, enables secure cloud adoption, and demonstrates to customers, partners, and regulators serious commitment to data protection. For Belgian businesses seeking to protect operations, maintain customer trust, and ensure regulatory compliance, investment in comprehensive encryption programs delivers substantial returns through risk reduction, compliance confidence, and business enablement in an increasingly digital economy.