Fortanix Selected to Power Equinix SmartKey | Press Releases

Fortanix® Inc., the leader in Runtime Encryption, today announced that Equinix has selected its next-generation Hardware Security Module (HSM) solution, the Fortanix Self-Defending Key Management Service™ (SDKMS), to power Equinix SmartKey™ HSM-as-a-service which has been announced as publicly available today by Equinix.

As a result of this collaboration, the Fortanix solution is now available via SmartKey as a global SaaS-based key management and HSM service hosted on Platform Equinix™, Equinix’s global interconnection and data center platform. Users gain a solution that is backed by strong SLAs, world-class infrastructure and connectivity from Equinix.

According to Gartner, “The ability to orchestrate policies and the key management life cycle between the cloud and on-premises is essential as part of a data security governance approach. This will have a direct bearing on a client’s ability to address data residency and compliance requirements and to prevent potential security breaches.”

SmartKey, powered by Fortanix, supports enterprise-wide keys and policies with synchronization capabilities that break not just traditional enterprise silos but work seamlessly across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Organizations can use the service to secure sensitive cloud and on-premises applications, including databases, digital payments, PKI systems, IoT applications, and remote TLS terminations.

“SmartKey delivers best-in-class Key Management-as-a-Service to enterprises looking to securely adopt public, hybrid or multicloud environments,” said Lance Weaver, VP, Product Strategy and Emerging Services at Equinix. “With presence in 48 global markets, Equinix is uniquely positioned to provide localized, cloud-neutral encryption key management, separate from and in close proximity to the industry’s leading cloud services. By collaborating with a leading technology partner, Fortanix, Equinix is providing our customers with a solution that meets the demands of today’s changing data landscape.”

Secured with Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX) and Fortanix Runtime Encryption, the SmartKey solution ensures that customers remain in complete control over keys and secrets. All core functions including access control, authentication, key generation and cryptographic operations are performed in a protected environment. The solution provides central management with single sign-on support, enterprise-level access controls, and centralized audit logging with SIEM integrations. It supports a variety of interfaces including RESTful APIs, PKCS#11, JCE, and CNG that makes it easy to integrate with new or existing applications.

“We are proud of our work with Equinix to deliver the industry’s first HSM-as-a-service,” said Ambuj Kumar, Fortanix CEO and co-founder. “We have combined our Runtime Encryption® innovation with Equinix’s operational excellence to deliver a global service that uniquely protects encryption keys and data across any cloud environment. With Equinix, we now have a partner that is a force multiplier to help drive our solution to the broader market.”

SmartKey service is easy to get started with a 30-day trial sign-up. Organizations can use the solution to securely generate, store and use cryptographic keys, certificates and secrets. One of the unique capabilities that has gained traction with early adopters is the Runtime Encryption® Plugin, which allows organizations to securely run sensitive business logic inside a protected environment. The solution features BYOK integrations with Google Cloud, AWS and Azure, and integrations with enterprise applications such as Oracle and Microsoft SQL, enabling a wide range of use cases.

“Intel is pleased to support Fortanix’s progress in delivering Runtime Encryption® to the market,” said Rick Echevarria, Vice President, Software and Services Group, and General Manager, Platforms Security Division at Intel. “We are excited about the collaboration between Equinix and Fortanix, which utilizes Intel® Software Guard Extensions to deliver key management as a service that enhances privacy in a hybrid and multi-cloud world.”

Last year, Fortanix introduced its Self-Defending Key Management Service™ (SDKMS) next-generation Hardware Security Module (HSM) solution with data protection features and location-based access controls. Leveraging Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX), it is the world’s first solution delivering Runtime Encryption® technology to protect keys, applications and data during use.

Runtime Encryption® allows general-purpose computation on encrypted data without exposing sensitive information to untrusted operating systems, root users, cloud providers, or malicious insiders. Fortanix delivers complete and deterministic privacy, as data remains encrypted and completely protected from cloud providers, system administrators, insiders, government subpoena, and network hackers.

* Gartner, Inc. “Key Management as a Service Exposes Different Risks to Data in Public Clouds,” by Brian Lowans, et al. Dec. 19, 2017.

About Fortanix

Fortanix delivers provable deterministic security to organizations by offering the industry’s only Runtime Encryption. While today’s encryption technologies protect only data at rest and data in motion, Runtime Encryption® keeps keys, data and applications completely protected while in use from external and internal threats, including insiders, cloud providers, government subpoena, OS-level hacks and network intruders. Fortanix uses Intel® SGX, Intel TXT, and other technologies for real-time encryption with no performance impact. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company is backed by Foundation Capital and NeoTribe.