Comparison of encryption options

The following NetBackup options exist for data at rest encryption:

The following table shows the available encryption options along with their potential advantages and disadvantages.

Table: Encryption options comparison

Encryption option	Potential advantages	Potential disadvantages
Client encryption, standard encryption See Configuring standard encryption on clients.	The encryption key is on the client computer and not controlled by the NetBackup administrator Can be deployed without affecting the NetBackup primary and media servers Can be deployed on a per client basis	The encryption key on the client does not scale well to environments where each client must have a unique encryption key and individual encryption key Encryption and compression taking place on the client can affect client performance
Client encryption, legacy encryption See Configuring legacy encryption on clients.	Same advantages as client encryption with standard encryption.	Same disadvantages as client encryption with standard encryption.
Third-party encryption appliances and hardware devices	Little or no performance effect due to added hardware. Generally NIST FIPS 140 certified.	The NetBackup Compatibility lab tests some of these solutions. This testing is neither an endorsement or rejection or a particular solution. This effort verifies that basic functionality was verified when used with a specific version of NetBackup. No integration with NetBackup configuration, operation, or diagnostics. The Disaster recovery scenario is provided by the appliance or device.

Encryption option

Potential advantages

Potential disadvantages

Client encryption, standard encryption

The encryption key is on the client computer and not controlled by the NetBackup administrator
Can be deployed without affecting the NetBackup primary and media servers
Can be deployed on a per client basis

The encryption key on the client does not scale well to environments where each client must have a unique encryption key and individual encryption key
Encryption and compression taking place on the client can affect client performance

Client encryption, legacy encryption

Same advantages as client encryption with standard encryption.

Same disadvantages as client encryption with standard encryption.

Third-party encryption appliances and hardware devices

The NetBackup Compatibility lab tests some of these solutions. This testing is neither an endorsement or rejection or a particular solution. This effort verifies that basic functionality was verified when used with a specific version of NetBackup.
No integration with NetBackup configuration, operation, or diagnostics.
The Disaster recovery scenario is provided by the appliance or device.