Enabling Database Encryption

An entire database can be encrypted when creating a new database or a new replica of an existing database. When a database is encrypted locally, it can be opened only by the Notes User ID that was used to encrypt the database. It isn't advisable to encrypt a database that's on a server because it's too easy to lock everyone out of it that way. Locally encrypting a database is useful for databases that contain sensitive information and are carried on a laptop. As illustrated in Figure 23.14, if you encrypt the database and the laptop is stolen, the database cannot be accessed unless the password for the Notes User ID is known.

Figure 23.14. Encrypting a new local replica of a database provides additional security for laptop users.

As shown in Figure 23.14, three levels of encryption can be applied. The first is simple encryption, which provides the fastest access to documents but also is the least secure. Medium encryption is recommended as the best choice in that it provides decent access to documents while providing a good level of security. With strong encryption, the documents take longer to open , but it's the most secure option.

Take Care with Encrypted Databases

When using medium or strong encryption, databases should not be compressed by a compression utility.

To enable encryption for a database, simply select the database, and then choose File, Database, Properties from the menu, or right-click the database icon and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the Encryption Settings button to open the dialog box shown in Figure 23.14.