File-Level Encryption That Keeps Data Protected Wherever It Travels

Active Cypher builds file-level encryption and data protection software for organizations that assume perimeter defenses will eventually fail. Founded by chief technology officer Dan Gleason and led by chief executive Michael Quinn, the Newport Beach, California company markets to legal, financial, and healthcare organizations as well as managed security service providers reselling protection to their own clients. The stated goal is blunt: turn a data breach from a catastrophe into an inconvenience by rendering exfiltrated files unusable to whoever takes them.

The approach is data-first rather than infrastructure-first. Encryption is applied at the asset level, so each individual file carries its own protection across on-premises servers, cloud storage, email, and file-sharing tools. Files remain inside the customer's own environment, with no third party taking custody of the data. Administrators set policy on the file itself, governing whether it can be edited, downloaded, printed, or shared and for how long, and can revoke access or recall a misdirected file at any point.

Three products cover the range. Cypher Cloud secures files in collaboration platforms including SharePoint, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and Google services; Cypher Protect handles hybrid and on-premises file servers in Active Directory environments; and Cypher Scout is a no-install assessment tool that surfaces account and configuration gaps across Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, and file servers. The emphasis throughout is deployment without workflow disruption. The vendor is a Microsoft Silver Partner and Microsoft Intelligent Security Association member, listed on Azure Marketplace and AppSource.