Disclaimer: The following review reflects my views and in no way constitutes an endorsement on behalf of CSO.Security begins with the individualWhen most people hear of data breaches, large scale incidents like the Heartland Payment Systems breach come to mind. Most don’t consider that an enterprise breach usually starts with data from individual systems. Gartner points out that encryption must be extended to all personal computers, not just company servers. Encryption not only addresses data leakage during personal and business use, but also when the hardware is retired. According to Gartner, criminals often buy salvaged hard drives and retrieve sensitive personal information from them. They recommend using strong encryption on files containing such information. Encryption Security Solutions’ eSafe addresses this need.Usability One of the greatest issues with any software package is its usability. This is among eSafe’s strengths. I was able to install and begin using the program within minutes. The clarity of the instruction document was refreshing. It was clear that the designers studied the way their product would be utilized in the field. Non-technical instructions were accompanied by screen shots that familiarized me with the product within five minutes.The interface was elegant. Encryption/decryption is initiated by dragging the target file onto the eSafe desktop icon. You need only provide a file name for the encrypted file and an encryption password. eSafe does the rest. System Foot PrintThe eSafe installation uses less than 250 KB of disk space. The eSafe executable uses approximately 2,540 KB of RAM.Encryption AlgorithmeSafe comes standard with 256 bit, AES encryption. The engine’s performance was impressive. I was able to encrypted a 25MB file within 5 seconds. Other encryption algorithms are available by contacting the essquared.com team.OvervieweSafe is a player to watch in the individual encryption product market. It allows you to contribute to the security posture of your home or business environment by encrypting your critical information. It has a small system foot print, thus mitigating the risk of conflict with legacy software. Most importantly, it offers strong AES encryption at an affordable price point. For more information, go to www.essquared.com Related content opinion Positioning the Security Team Through Influence Part 1 Influence styles are a reflection of the influencers and, by extension, their team. Thus, they must understand the situations to which different styles are applicable. This series explores the common influence styles and their application. By Steven Fox Apr 21, 2012 3 mins Technology Industry IT Jobs opinion From Obstacle to Ally - Repositioning the Security Team Pt 1 By Steven Fox Apr 08, 2012 3 mins Technology Industry IT Strategy opinion Key Sessions at CISO Executive Summit 2011 By Steven Fox Dec 03, 2011 3 mins Business Continuity Data and Information Security Careers opinion Securing User Credentials On Mobile Devices By Steven Fox Nov 15, 2011 4 mins Data and Information Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe