Key Management in the Multi-Platform EnvironmentDownload the white paper "Key Management in the Multi-Platform Environment" |
If you have Microsoft SQL Server with Extensible Key Management (EKM), the implementation of encryption and key retrieval with Alliance Key Manager, our encryption key management Hardware Security Module (HSM) is easy. Our HSM comes with the Windows EKM Provider software that you install, configure and deploy. Problem solved.
But what if you have a significant investment in Microsoft applications that don’t support EKM?
For example, you might have applications built on SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008/2012 Standard Edition which do not support EKM. You could upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2 or SQL Server 2012, but there might be application roadblocks that prevent the upgrade right now.
Or, you might have applications written in a .NET language that update non-Microsoft databases, or which work with unstructured data.
These technical hurdles won’t stop you from using our encryption key manager to meet compliance requirements for protecting encryption keys. We provide a .NET Assembly and DLL that you can add to your .NET project to retrieve encryption keys from the HSM. A few lines of C# code and you are retrieving the encryption key from the HSM, and the problem is solved.
The sample code on the product CD will get you up and running quickly. There are C# sample applications with source code that you can use as a starting point in your projects. The Alliance Key Manager .NET Assembly works with any .NET language including C#, C, and C++.
The Alliance Key Manager .NET Assembly also works with the Common Language Runtime (CLR) environment, and with Stored Procedures. And you can mix and match your .NET languages, databases, and OS platforms.
The combination of automatic encryption (EKM, TDE, Cell Level Encryption) with the Alliance Key Manager .NET Assembly code means that you won’t have any gaps in your coverage of your Microsoft platforms. Download our white paper "Key Management in the Multi-Platform Environment" for more information on securing your encryption keys.
Happy coding!
Patrick