As the digital threat landscape grows, data volumes increase, and digital infrastructures become more complex, securing an organization's information is an increasing challenge. Also, the unbroken trends of cloud computing, leading to fragmented key and system deployment, adds complexity.
In this blog post, you’ll learn how converged Hardware Security Module (HSM) and Key Management Systems (KMSs) capabilities enable the complete protection of your organization’s digital infrastructure. You’ll discover how this can be implemented even without on-premises installations.
Protecting Digital Data, Information and Access is More Important Than Ever
We are all aware that protecting data is essential. Some years ago, the comparison of “data as the new oil” came up, hinting to their monetary value. There is no discussion about how valuable digital data is. In first place for the individuals and organizations creating/owning this data, making them a remunerative pray for criminals to extort money after encrypting or stealing those data.
27% of businesses encounter security breaches in their public cloud infrastructure.
Source: Cybersecurity statistics, Sentinelone.com
Encryption and Key Management for Cloud Infrastructure – Challenges
As organizations increasingly adopt cloud infrastructures, encryption and key management play a crucial role in securing sensitive data. However, managing encryption and keys in the cloud comes with challenges:
- Multi-cloud environments often lead to fragmented key management, making it harder to maintain security across different platforms.
- Quantum computing threats pose a future risk to current cryptography, necessitating Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) migration.
- Sophisticated cyber-attacks increasingly target cloud systems, emphasizing the need for robust encryption and key protection.
- Compliance with evolving regulations requires organizations to implement strict encryption and access control policies.
- Technical complexity demands specialized expertise and infrastructure investments to manage encryption effectively.
Protecting your data against internal and external threats, such as Ransomware, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or Insider Attacks can be easy if following a simple formula:
Encryption + Crypto Key Management = Complete Protection for Digital Infrastructure
Encryption – The Power of Hardware Security Modules as Root of Trust
The Power of Hardware Security Modules lies in their capability to securely generate highly-secure cryptographic keys. Utilizing those keys enables the reliable protection of your data based on their encryption.
Crypto Key Management – The Single Pane of Glass for all Crypto Keys
Utilizing the capabilities of a Key Management System is best practice to reliably store and manage all crypto keys through one central access point. Leveraging from a capable KMS enables consolidated management of all keys – whether they are utilized on-premises or in the cloud – throughout their complete lifecycle.
Fully Leverage from Highest Protection While Maintaining Your Flexibility
In a world that constantly keeps changing, flexibility is crucial. While we all rely on TV and Music streaming services instead of buying videos and music albums; why not leveraging from this principle in the organizational context as well?
Actually, organizations around the globe are increasingly moving their workload to the cloud and adopting digital as a Service models instead of hosting storage capabilities and security solution solely on-premises.
Converged Key Management – Merging Core Capabilities to a Powerful Single-Service Solution
Thinking about the advantages of HSM technology and the capabilities of KMS, it seems logical that combining both is a perfect match, providing the dream team for the complete protection of your organizations’ data.
Adding the as a Service aspect to it, makes the perfect solution which can be reflected in this formula:
HSM Technology + KMS capabilities + as a Service deployment = Fully managed service for crypto key generation, management and storage
Utilizing a fully managed service providing converged KMS and HSM capabilities allows for the consolidated generation, storage and management of encryption keys through one central access point, enabling complete security but without facing the typical costs related to traditional on-premises installations. Additionally, this approach offers a higher degree of control over digital assets through a single pane of glass, streamlining visibility and management across the entire encryption ecosystem.
Leveraging from a cloud-hosted converged key management solution enables your organization to:
- Establish complete data security
- Store encryption keys separated from data
- Comply to legal and compliance requirements (e.g. NIST, GDPR, CLOUD Act)
- Navigate the complex digital landscape in an easier way
- Reduce total cost of ownership
- Benefit from scalability & flexibility
Good to know: Using Key Management as a Service does not reduce control over keys. They remain protected by a customer-controlled master key and securely stored in an HSM.
Utimaco’s fully managed service providing converged KMS and HSM capabilities
Utimaco’s Enterprise Key Manager as a Service is the fully managed, converged service combining the capabilities of a Key Management System (KMS) with the ones of a General Purpose Hardware Security Module (GP HSMH), enabling holistic generation, management and storage of all cryptographic keys.
Enterprise Key Manager as a Service provides the ideal solution for central data security based on the reliable separation of your crypto material from your data, independent if utilized on-premises or in the cloud.
