Compliance with daunting PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOX data security requirements is a challenging balancing act – often hard to master.
Especially when third-party cloud platforms retain full access to all your crypto keys. And expose your network to a potentially disastrous brute-force or ransom attack.
Thus, leading organisations are increasingly maintaining control over their cryptographic keys via impenetrable HSMs which is considered a cryptographic data protection best practice.
However, the prohibitive cost and complexity of deploying on-prem HSMs are often a significant barring factor, especially when you have limited resources. So, if you want to find a win-win solution to bolster your cloud data security on a limited budget – read on!
What Is HSM On Demand?
Point-to-point encrypted Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) are fortified, tamper-proof cryptographic data processors that seamlessly manage and secure the entire lifecycle of crypto keys.
While some enterprise-level organisations with adequate resources still oversee HSMs in their own data centres. Outsourcing HSM management is a rapidly growing phenomenon in the cybersecurity space that is gaining momentum.
Why, may you ask? The answer is simple. It provides cloud-based access to all the HSM features without the need to purchase, install, or manage expensive, resource-intensive hardware.
Most importantly, “HSM on Demand” offers the same high level of security and performance as traditional on-prem HSMs, albeit with more built-in flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. In addition, it offers:
- Cloud data security with encryption keys that never leave the HSM.
- Cryptographic operations like encryption, decryption, signing, and verification.
- Integration with various applications and use cases like digital signing and code signing platforms, PKI, and blockchain.
- Access HSM partitions on demand, with pay-per-use pricing and no upfront costs.
- The flexibility to scale up or down as needed coupled with high availability and resilience.
- HSM partitions management through a simple and user-friendly web portal or API.
Why Third-Party Cloud Crypto Keys Are Super Risky!
Even though it may be tempting to blindly rely on your third-party cloud platform’s encryption capabilities to store and process your data and not hold control over your encryption keys, it may result in:
- Data breaches: If a malicious actor targets your cloud service provider, gains access to your encryption keys, decrypts it, and compromises its confidentiality and integrity.
- Data loss: When the cloud provider either loses your encryption keys or goes out of business. Resulting in lost access to your data and irreparable damage.
- Data compliance: You may incur stiff legal penalties or reputational harm if your cloud service provider is not compliant with your industry or region’s data security requirements.
Thus, it is essential to retain crypto keys when deploying a third-party cloud-hosted platform via a robust “HSM on Demand” – isolated from the cloud platform.
Ensure that your data is always encrypted, whether it be in transit or at rest, and capitalise on the following additional benefits:
- Assurance that only authorised parties have access to and can modify your data.
- Peace of mind of knowing that your organisation is compliant with applicable laws.
- Demonstrated trustworthiness and accountability to your customers and stakeholders.
SecureKey: A Trusted HSM Hosting Service Provider
The SecureKey Group (SKG) is a leading provider of “HSM on Demand” services in Africa and beyond, offering specialised cloud data security solutions for various applications and industries ranging from financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, and the government sectors to telecommunications.
SecureKey’s HSM offering is powered by market leading technology considered “the gold standard” in cybersecurity. Deployed in thousands of organisations globally to comply with rigorous PCI Security Standards Council requirements.
The SecureKey Group’s outsourced HSMs are hosted in secure data centres in South Africa, automatically ensuring compliance with local data privacy regulations and data sovereignty demands.
All “HSM on Demand” clients enjoy 24/7 access to technical support and guidance throughout the process, from provisioning to configuration to operation. Including, vital backups and HSM partition restorations, ensuring data continuity and disaster recovery.
Conclusion
SecureKey’s HSM on Demand, founded on critically acclaimed Luna Cloud HSM technology is a revolutionary service that seamlessly integrates with all your existing applications. Offering bolstered cybersecurity, flexibility, scalability, cost-efficiency, and most importantly – control over all your valuable crypto keys.
Resources
https://thalesdocs.com/dpod/services/luna_cloud_hsm/service/index.html
