1. A method for transparently applying a cryptographic operation to application-specific data, the method comprising: providing an application program interface (API) coupled between a cryptographic server and a data store of an information processing device, the information processing device running at least one of an operating system (OS) and a native database management system (DBMS) that natively contains at least one hook corresponding to a pre-defined OS or native DBMS data flow event or location and operable to invoke third party-provided computer program code when data flow of the OS or DBMS reaches the pre-defined data flow event or location; providing the third-party computer program code; and responsive to a request from an application related to an input/output (I/O) operation on a storage mechanism that causes data flow of the OS or DBMS to reach the pre-defined data flow event or location, initiating via the API, by the computer program code invoked by the hook, cryptographic processing of an application-specific data item corresponding to the I/O operation request by a cryptographic appliance (CA) coupled to the cryptographic server.