IBM This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. IBM launched new support for homomorphic encryption (HE) on Thursday — widely seen as the data-protection standard of the future, but one that's been difficult for companies to adopt. IBM is now offering companies consulting services, a place to prototype online, and IT support around the standard. The process protects data while it is being analyzed and processed, so employees, vendors, and hackers can't access or steal it. Gartner, IBM, and others say HE is on the cusp of going mainstream, and companies will need to address the learning curve of using it.