Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) technology shows great promise for commercialization because it is a form of encryption that allows computation to be directly applied to encrypted data, without requiring decryption during the process. The FHE technology delivers both security and privacy without having to unencrypt the data to perform the mathematical calculations.
Several issues have held FHE back, including a need to understand the complex mathematical underpinnings of encryption technology and the prohibitive amount of compute power and time required to use FHE. Consequently, FHE is only recently starting to see more commercial application, and products supporting FHE have started to appear.
One of the key challenges for security leaders and practitioners today is implementing security methods without interrupting the flow or speed of business. Consequently, various hurdles or bottlenecks still need to be further addressed before fully tapping into the commercialization opportunity for FHE.
However, good inroads are being made from multiple fronts, many of which are being funded through DARPA initiatives.
FHE is a promising technology and has a strong developing ecosystem. We look forward to monitoring its further evolution and commercialization. And how it addresses various issues that a lot of smart people are working.
If you are interested in further discussion, please do not hesitate to contact Deborah Siegle at AZCA, Inc.