With the scope and frequency of attacks on valuable corporate data growing enormously in recent years, a solid understanding of cryptography is essential for anyone working in the computer/network security field. This timely book delivers the hands-on knowledge you need, offering comprehensive coverage on the latest and most-important standardized cryptographic techniques to help you protect your data and computing resources to the fullest. Rather than focusing on theory like other books on the market, this unique resource describes cryptography from an end-user perspective, presenting in-depth, highly practical comparisons of standards and techniques.