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AWS CloudHSM vs Azure Key Vault: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will compare AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault, two popular cloud-based key management services. Key management is essential for securing sensitive data and ensuring compliance in cloud environments. Both AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault offer similar functionalities, but there are key differences that set them apart. Let's explore these differences in detail.

  1. Integration with Cloud Ecosystems: One key difference between AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault is their integration with respective cloud ecosystems. AWS CloudHSM is tightly integrated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and provides seamless integration with other AWS services such as AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and AWS Key Management Service (KMS). On the other hand, Azure Key Vault is built on the Azure platform and offers easy integration with other Azure services like Azure Active Directory and Azure Resource Manager.

  2. Hardware vs Software-based Approach: Another significant difference lies in their underlying architecture. AWS CloudHSM utilizes physical hardware security modules (HSMs) hosted in AWS data centers. These dedicated HSMs offer high-performance cryptographic operations and provide strong isolation for key management. In contrast, Azure Key Vault operates on a software-based approach, utilizing cloud-native systems and technologies to manage keys securely. This difference in approach may influence factors such as performance, scalability, and maintenance requirements.

  3. Global Availability: When it comes to global availability, AWS CloudHSM offers more data center regions compared to Azure Key Vault. AWS has a broader geographic footprint, allowing users to deploy CloudHSM instances in multiple regions worldwide. Azure Key Vault, while also offering global availability, may have limited availability in certain regions or countries.

  4. Key Storage and Backup Options: AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault have different approaches to key storage and backup. AWS CloudHSM allows users to store keys directly on the dedicated HSMs, providing a high level of security and control over the keys. Additionally, CloudHSM offers automated backups for keys stored on the hardware modules. On the other hand, Azure Key Vault stores keys in a secure cloud storage backend, providing redundancy and backup options at the platform level. Users can enable soft-delete functionality in Azure Key Vault to prevent accidental deletion of keys.

  5. Pricing Structure: AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault have distinct pricing structures. AWS CloudHSM follows a pay-as-you-go model, where users pay for the number of HSMs deployed and the duration for which they are active. Additional costs may apply for key usage and data transfer. Azure Key Vault, on the other hand, offers a tiered pricing model based on key types and usage. Users can choose between standard and premium tiers, with different features and pricing options.

  6. Security Compliance: Both AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault comply with industry standards and regulations to ensure security and compliance. However, there may be differences in the specific certifications they hold. It is important to evaluate the compliance requirements of your organization and assess which service aligns better with those needs. AWS CloudHSM, for example, is compliant with various industry regulations such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and FedRAMP. Azure Key Vault is compliant with standards like SOC 1, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR.

In summary, AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault differ in terms of their integration with cloud ecosystems, underlying architecture, global availability, key storage and backup options, pricing structure, and security compliance. When deciding between the two, organizations should consider their specific requirements, existing cloud infrastructure, and compliance needs.

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What is AWS CloudHSM?

The AWS CloudHSM service allows you to protect your encryption keys within HSMs designed and validated to government standards for secure key management. You can securely generate, store, and manage the cryptographic keys used for data encryption such that they are accessible only by you. AWS CloudHSM helps you comply with strict key management requirements without sacrificing application performance.

What is Azure Key Vault?

Secure key management is essential to protect data in the cloud. Use Azure Key Vault to encrypt keys and small secrets like passwords that use keys stored in hardware security modules (HSMs). For more assurance, import or generate keys in HSMs, and Microsoft processes your keys in FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated HSMs (hardware and firmware). With Key Vault, Microsoft doesn’t see or extract your keys. Monitor and audit your key use with Azure logging—pipe logs into Azure HDInsight or your security information and event management (SIEM) solution for more analysis and threat detection.

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What are some alternatives to AWS CloudHSM and Azure Key Vault?
AWS Key Management Service
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easy for you to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt your data, and uses Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) to protect the security of your keys. AWS Key Management Service is integrated with other AWS services including Amazon EBS, Amazon S3, and Amazon Redshift. AWS Key Management Service is also integrated with AWS CloudTrail to provide you with logs of all key usage to help meet your regulatory and compliance needs.
AWS Certificate Manager
It removes the time-consuming manual process of purchasing, uploading, and renewing SSL/TLS certificates. With this service, you can quickly request a certificate, deploy it on AWS resources.
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Git
Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.
GitHub
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