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George asked: “I have been debating whether or not I should encrypt my cell phone and other device. What advice can you give me as far as encrypting my devices and if it’s something I need to do or not?”
George, you probably should just because… why not? Day to day, the process happens in the background and you don’t really have to do anything other than unlock your device to use it, which you probably already do.
Under normal circumstances, it won’t make a difference. You just unlock your phone and use it the same, encrypted or otherwise. Encryption does give you more peace of mind if anyone happens to get their hands on your devices.
There aren’t many downsides to the process
You mentioned a cell phone, cell phones are mobile devices and they’re easier to lose, they’re also pretty big repositories of private information, those are reasons to consider encryption.
There aren’t many downsides to the process, you could notice slower performance, but you probably won’t.
There is a big warning you should hear before encrypting, though: it works for everyone, you included. That means that if you don’t know your own password you will not be able to access your information any more than anyone else would.
Other than that, we’d say give it a go! There’s no good reason not to.