For this Discussion, consider the following scenarios that involve transmitting confidential information: 

1. A mid-sized company has about 250 employees and needs to transmit employee payroll data to the vendor that manages employee contributions towards their retirement plans.
2. A hospital sends approximately 25 images daily from patients’ scans to a clinic of radiologists. The radiologists read the scans and send reports back to the hospital.
3. A life insurance company has about 1,500 independent agents all over the country. Every day, the agents file electronic application forms from prospective clients to their assigned corporate offices.

Identify a firm from any one of the above scenarios. Based on your readings and upon conducting additional research, suggest two data transmission methods that your chosen firm could use. Explain the risks associated with each alternative. Which method would you recommend for this firm and why?

Next, explain the risks and benefits of applications that use Public Key Cryptography to encrypt files or messages (such as PGP) and the risks and benefits for transport-layer security applications, where the files and messages may not be encrypted, but the data stream can be (such as an IPsec VPN or FTPS). Does your recommended method fall under either of the two categories? Why or why not?