Whether information is stored in the cloud or on a physical server, securing digital data is of utmost importance. Just as technologies become more sophisticated each day, so do hackers and cybercriminals who intend to exploit all possible weaknesses in your cybersecurity armor. As a law enforcement agency, you must ensure that all the information in your database is kept safe and secure—otherwise, it will become even more difficult to solve cases.
Given the confidential nature of the information you have, you’ll need encryption for your evidence management system. Encryption will protect your evidence from tampering by malicious individuals, especially if they have the intent to derail an investigation.
What Is Encryption?
Encryption is a process of encoding data so that only authorized users can access it—it remains hidden from everyone else. It safeguards private information and sensitive data while improving the security of communication between the servers and client apps. Even if an unauthorized person or entity gains access to your data, they won’t be able to read it.
How Does Encryption Work?
Encryption is a relatively simple process in its most basic level, where it replaces letters, symbols, and numbers with other characters, creating a cipher. These characters serve as stand-ins for the original data. The cipher creator has the key to decode it, which is a number that explains the mathematical process used to encode the cipher.
Although it is possible to encrypt something manually, it’s a very tedious task. Instead you should rely on a software solution, which will scramble the data using an algorithm. It will also create an encryption key in which humans or computers need to read the real data.
Why Is Encryption Important?
Encryption is a standard but crucial part of data privacy and security. A large volume of private information is sent online, including financial information like credit card numbers and Social Security Numbers. If these fall into the wrong hands, they could cause extensive damage. Encryption provides valuable peace of mind and trust to users, as they don’t have to worry about their information confidentiality.
Law enforcement agencies in particular hold incredibly sensitive data that, if lost, would result in terrible consequences. By having evidence logged into a database, your department is able to solve decades-old cold cases. However, by adding encryption, you can know that your department is using industry-standard tools to protect records of physical evidence, ensuring that only you can access them.
Work with Professional Evidence Tracking Solutions
Your law enforcement agency needs only the best security to keep your database safe. Encryption is a necessity to safeguard vital information and ensure that only authorized people have access to it. Otherwise, it is vulnerable to malicious attacks, putting your officers and agency at risk. Fortunately, with encryption and professional evidence tracking solutions, you can protect valuable data from unscrupulous individuals.
Evidence Management Systems for Your Agency
PMI Evidence Tracker™ is an advanced evidence management tool that provides law enforcement agencies with top-tier, flexible, and affordable systems for handling evidence and property. The software keeps detailed information about each piece of evidence, allowing you to quickly and securely track your evidence inventory. It also ensures all of the information saved on your server is safely encrypted, ensuring it is not accessed by someone without the correct authorization. Contact us today to find out how our software can benefit your agency!
