Deploying Transport-Level Security for SharePoint

The very nature of interconnected networks requires that all information be sent in a format that can easily be intercepted by any client on a physical network segment. The data must be organized in a structured, common way so that the destination server can translate it into the proper information. This is especially the case for SharePoint environments. This simplicity also gives rise to security problems, however, because intercepted data can easily be misused if it falls into the wrong hands.

The need to make information unusable if intercepted is the basis for all transport-level encryption. Considerable effort goes into both sides of this equation: Security specialists develop schemes to encrypt and disguise data, and hackers and other security specialists develop ways to forcefully decrypt and intercept data. The good news is that encryption technology has developed to the point that properly configured environments can secure their data with a great deal of success, as long as the proper tools are used. SharePoint’s operating system, Windows Server, offers much in the realm of transport-level security, and deploying some or many of the technologies available is highly recommended to properly secure important data. This is particularly true for SharePoint content, because without transport-level security, the data sent between critical SharePoint systems, such as the communications between SharePoint web role servers and SQL database role servers, is unencrypted and can be intercepted.