Microsoft Azure Key Vault Gets Secure With CloudLink

Ben Sullivan,
microsoft azure

SecureVM integrated into Key Vault, promises ‘complete and singular control’ of security policy

Microsoft has chosen to integrate CloudLink Technologies’ SecureVM solution into its Microsoft Azure Key Vault.

SecureVM, initially integrated with Microsoft Azure in July 2014, allowed Azure customers to manage the encryption of Windows and Linux-based virtual machines.

Microsoft AzureSecureVM will give users control

Now with Azure Key Vault integration, SecureVM will give users control over their own encryption keys, with the cloud provider responsible for key generation and storage.

It is then up to the customer, as the owner of the data, to control the security policy and that regulates the encryption key access and use.

CloudLink, a Canadian firm formerly known as Afore, already provide security products for private cloud alongside Amazon Web Services and VMWare’s powered public cloud.

CloudLink CEO’s, Alex Berlin, said that the solution will give customers confidence that root of trust master keys are never exposed outside of the Microsoft Azure Key Vault.

“With SecureVM, CloudLink extends Microsoft Azure Key Vault with powerful data encryption and VM boot control. Giving the data owner the ability to define and control security policy that regulates encryption keys provides the customer flexibility to benefit from the cloud-based key management offered by Azure,” said Berlin.

For those who need to be in the know, some of SecureVM’s key points are highlighted below:

  • VMs are secured with keys backed by a hardware-based key management solution.
  • Each customer, as the data owner, has complete and singular control of the security policy that regulates encryption key management, and therefore access to data, at all times.
  • Seamless integration between CloudLink and Microsoft Azure Key Vault provides ease of deployment and ease of use.
  • The CloudLink SecureVM management virtual appliance is available in the Azure Marketplace and CloudLink SecureVM agent is available as a Virtual Machines Extension.

Are you a Microsoft aficionado? Take our Microsoft executives quiz here and find out how obsessed you really are.