Upgrade Your Encryption-Key Management System

Your encryption keys require the best security. Loss of encryption keys can have grave consequences. But, how do you secure your encryption keys? Do you use an Encryption-Key Spreadsheet or do you have a cloud provider to control your encryption keys? However you do it, it is absolutely necessary to secure your encryption keys to ensure cyber security.

Archaic Encryption Key Security

If you are still using archaic methods such as Encryption-Key Spreadsheets for securing your keys, then it is high-time to move on. Yes, these did serve the purpose some time back, but now they are not as secure as before. You must upgrade to smart key management. There are many other disadvantages with older key-management methods. They are quite difficult to manage.

In a typical scenario, when a company wants to send critical data, it encrypts the data and sends it to the destined recipient, who uses a decrypting key to decrypt and view the message. All is fine, and this method has significant advantages as long as the recipient securely maintains the decrypting key (their keys).

Letting a cloud-provider or allowing a data center to control/secure the keys is an option, but many still prefer managing the keys themselves for security reasons. Cyber attacks have become more sophisticated, and companies must have appropriately skilled IT security experts to handle the keys securely.

Key Management is a Big Pain – Reveals Surveys

Surveys have revealed that key management is considered as a big pain by many companies. More and more companies are finding it difficult to find or retain skilled IT experts that match their financial affordability. Improper management, defining responsibility, and fragmented management systems added to the woes of key-management. The administrators also found that managing keys of hosted services and external clouds were more challenging.

Most companies still use spreadsheets and some even paper. While this may suffice for enterprises needing to handle a limited number of keys, it would become unmanageable as the numbers rise.

Companies are Upgrading

However, many companies seem to be putting in place a key-management infrastructure. The figures seem to be increasing every year showcasing that more and more companies are becoming aware of the importance of effective key-management.

Embracing a centralized key-management system is better for compliance requirements. There are legal issues involved in cloud-based management where the keys may be stored out of the country. Such issues have to be addressed.

Further, keys must be rotated (changed) periodically, as maintaining the same keys for a long period increases susceptibility to cyber attacks.

Robust key-management software will play a great role in ensuring better, secure management of keys.