SecureZIP 12.00.18

SecureZIP is a well-known encryption and compression utility that combines a compact storage solution with a high level of security, allowing you to encrypt your compressed data using passphrases, a digital certificate stored in your system, or both. The program works seamlessly with the most widely used compression standards, such as ZIP, RAR, TAR, CAB, or LZH.

The feature that makes SecureZIP stand out from other data compression tools – and most certainly its main asset too – is the high level of security that you can apply to your zipped files before making them available to others. This is achieved by adding a fully encrypted passphrase to the new package, by applying one of your own X.509 digital certificates, or by combining both. You can create a different password or passphrase for each of the files in the container, or apply this extra level of security only to selected files.

Once you have sorted out how secure you want your files and your container to be, you can then apply a compression ratio to your files that may go from 0 to 98 per cent, and store them in a ZIP, TAR, BZ2, GZIP, or JAR container (to name a few). You can also create self-extracting ZIP files for internal use. When it comes to decompression, SecureZIP also supports other well-known compression formats, such as RAR and CAB.

There is a wide range of SecureZIP products for you to choose from, from PCs to servers, and from Windows to Linux or IBM systems, and from home use to enterprise use. This review refers to the 32-bit version of the Standard Edition for Windows Desktop. This version integrates itself with your Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) and your Microsoft Outlook, so that you can both convert your newly-zipped files in e-mail attachments without leaving SecureZIP, and zip your Office files straight away from the program’s menu. It is certainly worth a try if security is one of your concerns when sending out packed data.