What is enterprise key management?

What is enterprise key management?

Enterprise key management (EKM) refers to the practices, policies, and technologies to secure and manage encryption keys across enterprise infrastructure. It includes the centralized generation, distribution, storage, rotation, and revocation of encryption keys used to protect sensitive data at rest, in transit, and in use.

Organizations encounter numerous challenges when controlling and managing their encryption keys. They must effectively handle a significant volume of encryption keys utilized across diverse infrastructures. Secondly, protecting these keys from malicious insiders and external attackers is critical. Ensuring the enforcement of access control policies to safeguard data is another essential aspect.

Organizations must cater to the needs of multiple heterogeneous environments comprising various applications, databases, and standards. They must comply with regulatory requirements, adding another layer of complexity to their key management practices.

Many organizations lack comprehensive knowledge about their encryption keys, including their generation, storage locations, authorized access, designated purposes, regular updates, and secure backups.

EKM enables organizations to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability while complying with various regulatory requirements. They can mitigate the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches and maintain control over their data throughout the infrastructure.