White House Demands Encryption for Sensitive Data

Stung by a series of data losses or disclosures at federal agencies over the past month, the White House is requiring all agencies to follow new guidelines when allowing employees to carry sensitive data on laptops or access the information from afar, according to the Washington Post. From the article: ‘To comply with the new policy, agencies will have to encrypt all data on laptop or handheld computers unless the data are classified as “non-sensitive” by an agency’s deputy director.

I like where this is going. Not only will a standard password be required to access a remote database, but a keycard will also be needed. Then after 30 minutes of activity, the connection will be severed. The real question is… what took them so long to figure out how things should be done?