Backup Exec provides you with the ability to encrypt data. When you encrypt data, you protect it from unauthorized access. Anyone that tries to access the data has to have an encryption key that you create. Backup Exec provides software encryption, but it also supports some devices that provide hardware encryption with the T10 standard.
Backup Exec supports two security levels of encryption: 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and 256-bit AES. The 256-bit AES encryption provides a stronger level of security because the key is longer for 256-bit AES than for 128-bit AES. However, 128-bit AES encryption enables backup jobs to process more quickly. Hardware encryption using the T10 standard requires 256-bit AES.