Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Google Offers New Encryption Key Management Option for Cloud Customers

    Written by

    Jaikumar Vijayan
    Published June 22, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Business customers of Google’s cloud platform now have another option for protecting data on disks, images and backup resources in the cloud. 

      The company June 22 announced beta availability of a customer-managed encryption keys (CMEKs) feature that is aimed at giving enterprises more control over the default encryption that Google uses to protect data at rest in the cloud. 

      With the CMEK option, businesses can use Google’s Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) to create and manage keys for protecting the keys that Google uses to encrypt their data.  

      The so-called ‘key encryption keys’ that organizations can create with KMS cannot be used to directly encrypt or decrypt data on Google’s cloud infrastructure. Instead they are meant to protect the encryption keys that Google has already used to encrypt data. 

      The idea is to give enterprises a way of ensuring that nobody, including Google employees, can access encrypted data in Google’s cloud without the additional key. 

      “These customer-managed encryption keys (CMEKs) provide you with granular control over which disks, images and snapshots will be encrypted,” Google product manager Sirui Sun, said in a blog announcing beta availability of the feature. 

      CMEK is one of two options that Google now offers for creating key encryption keys on its cloud platform. The other option is one that the company has been offering for sometime and is called customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK). 

      The CSEK option is designed for organizations that want the highest level of control available over the encryption used to protect their data. With CSEK, enterprises entirely create and manage their own key encryption keys. Enterprises keep the encryption keys on their own premises and are responsible for managing them as well. 

      With the new CMEK on the other hand, the key encryption keys are stored in one central cloud key management service. The option gives organizations a way to manage encryption in the same manner they would on premise, according to Google. It provides enterprise with a root of trust over their data that can be monitored. 

      With the new customer-managed encryption keys option, Google’s key management service also automatically knows the keys that are assigned to specific encrypted resources. With CSEK, enterprises are responsible for specifying the customer-supplied keys that are assigned to each resource. 

      The CMEK feature extends the range of encryption management options available with Google cloud, Sun said. At one end of the spectrum is the default encryption of data at rest, the Google offers all customers. 

      With this option, all data on disks are automatically encrypted and Google manages the keys for the customers. The CSEK option represents the other end of the spectrum and is meant specifically for organizations that are required to meet and demonstrate adherence to specific data protection mandates. 

      The customer managed key management option that Google announced this week sits in the middle of the spectrum. It is targeted at organizations that want more control over the encryption used to protect their data but do not want to deal with the associated work, Sun said. 

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×