One of the aspects of cyber security that companies and businesses will need to address is key handling and management. A key management service can help take the stress out of this, but how does this work? Well, here at Creative Network Solutions, we are Preston’s leading IT support and network services experts. From secure remote access services to business VoIP, we are the team you can count on. And this is our guide to everything you should know about key management systems and why they are so important.
What is a key management service?
A key management service is a system designed for securely storing, managing, and backing up cryptographic keys. This can include:
- SSL certificate private keys
- SSH key pairs
- API keys
- Code signing private keys
- Document signing private keys
- Database encryption keys
On average, a medium sized company may have around 80,000 stored keys.
What are the advantages of a key management service?
There are a number of advantages and benefits of using a key management service. These include:
- Keeping your keys safe- just as you would protect the keys for your home or car, your digital keys need to also be protected. And that’s what a key management system can offer. This can help prevent your keys being lost or stolen through cyber crime, which can ultimately result in a data breach, downtime, or data loss. Any of these issues can be very costly for your company, both financially and through damaging your reputation.
- Ensuring PKI security- Your businesses PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) needs to be well managed and protected as this is the backbone of online security. From protecting customer data in transit, between their browser and your web server, to verifying your identity during logins, the PKI is reliant on digital certificates and keys to achieve these tasks online.
What does a key management service do?
Different key management services offer different options for businesses of different sizes. But in general, you can expect your key management service to:
- Creating secure keys- A key management service will allow you to generate truly secure keys with each a string of hexadecimal characters that can be very difficult to crack.
- Allowing you to set permissions- Knowing who has access to each key, and why they are using them, can help to keep your company data secure and safe, and this is what a key management service can offer.
- Allowing you to monitor keys- Knowing what each key is used for and related to can help you better manage your key security in general.
- Back up for keys- Being able to back up generated keys automatically you can save a lot of time, instead of manually backing up one row at a time.
- Safe key storage- Safe storage is the basis of all key management systems and this is something you can count on.
For more information or advice about your network security, systems, or cloud solutions, why not ask the experts today, here at Creative Network Solutions.