ThinkGrid offers data encryption to cloud service customers

IT-as-a-service firm ThinkGrid is adding encryption as an optional extra for customers concerned about the security of data migrated to the cloud.

Available immediately, ThinkGrid Cloud Encryption automatically secures all customer data stored in ThinkGrid's cloud platform using 256-bit AES encryption.

ThinkGrid said that the capability was designed for customers in the legal and financial sectors which need to demonstrate regulatory compliance and ensure that only they have access to sensitive client information.

However, at £3 per user per month, the company said that ThinkGrid Cloud Encryption is priced so that even smaller businesses can afford the protection it offers.

"It's transparent to the end user, so we're making it easy for customers to switch on. And once your data is encrypted, no-one can access it without your permission, even if your files are somehow taken out of the cloud," said ThinkGrid chief executive Rob Lovell.

The tool works through a compact software client that sits on each user's PC, and Lovell said that the firm can automatically deploy it onto any hosted virtual desktops a customer may be operating from ThinkGrid's cloud.

Customers can also provide the client to partners or temporary workers with access rights for a limited period, such as just a single day, he said.

ThinkGrid Cloud Encryption is based on technology from Cryptzone, and is the first of its kind to integrate 256-bit AES into a cloud platform, according to the firm.

Ovum analyst Roy Illsley suggested that many service providers are waking up to the need to create conditions for customers to trust them with corporate data, and offering encryption is merely the starting point.

"I do not think that this will signal the start of a gold rush, rather it removes yet another barrier, but there are still a few more to remove before chief information officers will be comfortable putting their most sensitive data into the cloud," he said.

ThinkGrid offers a number of IT services from its cloud platform, including hosted virtual desktops, hosted Exchange email systems, cloud storage and hosted virtual servers.

The firm now sells its services largely through reseller channel partners, which can help customers with tasks such as migrating data to the cloud.

"Small businesses typically don't have the expertise to migrate users to virtual desktops themselves, and channel partners can fill that gap better than we can," he explained.

A partner locator tool is available on ThinkGrid's web site.