Home Forums Encrypting server

We are running Server 2008. What will be the effect on user speed if we elect to encrypt the disk?

The short answer is it depends most of the raw speed of the drive array that AC is installed on.

The next question would be if the encryption is going to be done all in software or leveraging an installed chip-set.

If the goal is to protect patient data, and there is sufficient drive room in the machine and on the RAID controller, I would consider adding a SSD array, and then encrypting that logical drive.

How can you encrypt just your backup drive? I have a G-Safe RAID drive and off-site backup drive.

One way is to use Truecrypt (free) or jetico.com (a little more money). Jetico can encrypt when machine is off so people can't steal your data (say HIPAA), but it can also encrypt data while running (say CryptoLocker). I am not sure if you can run them both at the same time. There will be some performance hit but not much. I have heard of corrupting files before, but I am not sure what the percentage is on that.

@Chris Almost any good backup program encrypts your data as it stores it. AC's backup is encrypted. Backup Assist does for sure. But, you HAVE to remember your password as the company cannot retrieve it.

Here is the only good thing I have seen from the AMA hat guides through the encryption process

Encryption guide

I am seeking help form anyone who has set up Microsoft? Encrypting File
System (EFS) on Server 2008.
I am not able to use Bitlocker or Truecrypt as I had to extend the size of C: drive as I started filling up

Have found a good video on Encryption from Microsoft

Microsoft Encryption

The AMA that does not support physicians has given an encryption guide


\http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/washington/hipaa-phi-encryption.pdf

The only useful free thing I have seen from the AMA

If you want to encrypt the hard drive of your servers and your workstations, and assuming your servers are Windows Server 2008 and higher and your workstations are Windows 8 Pro or higher, then bitlocker is an excellent solution and you'll barely notice the impact on response. Bitlocker is built into the operating system.

For more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitLocker_Drive_Encryption

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732774.aspx

As for encrypting backups, you'll need to purchase third party software.

If you want to use truecrypt, that's fine but do know that truecrypt is about 12%-14% slower than bitlocker. On sufficiently fast hardware this may not be noticeable but on older or lower spec hardware you may want to keep this in mind. You can read studies online supporting this. Do note, however, that with most studies regarding open source software, such as truecrypt, you'll have to get through several paragraphs of reading about how awesome open source is and how wonderful the idea of everything being free is and how horrible Microsoft is before you get to the information you are actually looking for. And if the open source alternative isn't as good as Microsoft's, this gets a lot worse. Yes, filtering through all that "fluff" to get the information you are looking for so you can make your own informed decision is minutes of your life you'll never get back. You'll just have to deal with it.

JamesNT