Azure Key Management Solutions: Differentiate and Choose the Best As per the Requirements

What is Azure?

Azure is Microsoft’s cloud, allowing for software and hardware-based or hosted in the cloud and providing computing, analytical, storage, and networking services.

From these services, the users can selectively take what they want to build new applications in the public cloud or migrate other applications already running to the public cloud.

Azure is a platform that unites more than 200 products and cloud services aimed at helping users introduce new solutions, solve existing issues, and outline the future.

What is Azure Key Management?

Azure Key Management, also known as Azure Key Vault, is a Microsoft Azure feature that enables users to store encrypted keys and other secrets used in applications.

• Key Storage: Storing keys, secrets, and certificates in an encrypted manner.
• Access Control: Enforcing the organization’s access policies for keys, secrets, and certificates.
• Automated Management: Key management techniques; Rotating keys and secrets.
• Integration: Designed to complement other Azure services and provide improved security measures.
• Compliance: Compliance with the company’s requirement by organizing and securing records of the keys.

Various Key Management Use Cases & Requirements

Azure allows customers to select a key management solution based on their management duties and high-level requirements by offering various options.

Azure Key Vault and Azure Managed HSM have the least customer responsibility, while Azure Dedicated HSM and Azure Payment HSM have the greatest. These are the different ranges of management duties.

The chart below details this management responsibility trade-off between Microsoft and the customer and other needs. Microsoft oversees hosting and provisioning for all of its products.

The customer oversees key creation and management, assigning roles and permissions, monitoring, and auditing all solutions.

To compare each answer side by side, use the table. Starting at the top and working your way down, respond to all of the questions in the left-hand column to assist you in selecting the best option for all of your requirements—including expenses and administrative overhead.

Key Management Solutions in Azure

Azure covers most key management needs and regulates key details related to various Azure services to enhance data security and compliance. Here’s an in-depth look at the key management solutions in Azure:

1. Azure Key Vault (Standard Tier)

Azure Key Vault is a cloud service that enables you to securely store and manage access to your keys, applications, and sensitive information for cloud and enterprise applications.

In addition, it delivers centralized control and scales across various applications based on demand and automatically uses the Encryption in Azure Storage Service whenever your data is stored.

• Pricing: Pay-as-you-go based on operations, storage, and additional features, as well as HSM support.
• Service Limits: 25,000 keys and 1 million secrets per vault.
• Encryption at rest: Azure Storage Service encryption.
• APIs: REST API, SDKs (.NET, Java, Python, Node.js, PowerShell).

2. Azure Key Vault (Premium Tier)

The premium tier for Azure Key Vault has more advanced features than the standard tier; it comes with HSMs for managing keys in cryptographic space and is meant to be used by customers who need much security or compliance.

• Pricing: This tier is costlier than the Standard Tier primarily because of support for HSMs and extra features.
• Service Limitations: All functionalities of the Standard tier are supported with the added capability of HSM-based key management.
• Encryption-At-Rest: HSM-protected keys and secrets, ensuring greater security.
• APIs: REST API, SDKs (.NET, Java, Python, Node.js, PowerShell).

3. Azure Managed HSM

Azure Managed HSM is a single-tenant, fully managed service that stores cryptographic keys and performs cryptographic operations. The solution is highly suited for the most heavily regulated industries, which often demand FIPS 140-2 Level 3 compliance for their organization.

• Pricing: A level fee paid monthly coupled with extra per-operation charges.
• Service Limit: up to 10 HSMs per region, 100 partitions per HSM.
• Encryption-At-Rest: HSM Protected means the keys will never leave the hardware.
• Key APIs: PKCS#11, JCE, KSP/KMIP.

4. Azure Dedicated HSM

Dedicated HSMs are hardware security modules. They ensure the secure storage of keys and cryptographic operations. This service from Azure is available for customers with specific, unique regulatory and compliance needs requiring an isolated, hardware-backed solution.

• Pricing: The dedicated HSM hardware resources form the basis for charges.
• Service Boundaries: It is often loose and can be fitted according to the needs of the service users, which generally offers greater flexibility and seclusion.
• Encryption-At-Rest: these are Dedicated Hardware Security Modules that protect keys and operations.
• APIs: Multiple cryptographic APIs are supported and easily customizable according to choice, from PKCS#11 to other industry standards.

5. Azure Payment HSM

It is a security product designed explicitly for financial sectors, providing high levels of protection for payment card data and transaction processes. It’s compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS and supports managing keys securely for payment systems.

• Pricing: Generally, industry-specific pricing for the financial services sector is driven by specific use cases and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Limited Services: Designed concerning PCI DSS compliance, most suitable for payment systems and financial institutions.
• Encryption-At-Rest: This is highly secure, HSM-protected encryption for payment data.
• APIs: PKCS#11, JCE, KSP/KMIP, etc, in payment-specific APIs.

Difference between Software vs HSM-Protected key

The primary difference between software-protected keys and hardware security module (HSM)–protected keys lies in how they are stored and protected:

Conclusion

By Purchasing Azure Key Vault Code Signing Certificates from SignMyCode, you buy the highest level of health guarantee for your application. These certificates ensure the most significant protection for private keys from Hardware Security Modules against breaches and unauthorized access.