Thales gives Microsoft Azure BYOK

Digital rights management tends to be a contentious subject on a number of levels, ranging from the philosophical issues of whether it is actually a `good thing’, through the legal of an how, when and where it should be applied and on to the technical of making something work which is both easy to use – for publisher and user – and secure.

These latter points are particularly important when it comes to cloud-delivered services, for by definition the relevant data ends up outside the publisher’s infrastructure and is therefore at considerable risk. Here, the flexibility and agility needs to be coupled with more publisher-centric tools, such as the ability for them to effectively Bring Your Own Key (BYOK).

This is what information systems and communications security specialists, Thales e-Security, are targeting with its nShield hardware security modules (HSMs). The latest cloud service provider to sign to use the modules is Microsoft, which aims to use them to provide enhanced security for its Windows Azure Rights Management Service.

This gives Microsoft a cloud-based digital rights management system which forms the core of a new secure collaboration service accessible from anywhere, by anyone and supporting a multitude of document formats.

Until now rights management has mainly focused on infrastructure deployed within the enterprise over which an organisation had complete control. By shifting to a cloud-based model customers now have the ability to dramatically expand accessibility and ease of use – particularly when collaborating with parties outside their own network and across today’s highly dispersed organisations. However, the issue of control and security is still paramount.

The goal for any security-oriented cloud services is to convey confidence that sensitive data in the cloud is protected, confidence that different tenants are strongly segregated and that control over critical security assets such as cryptographic keys remains with the customer.

Recognizing this, Microsoft went beyond simply using HSMs in the Windows Azure cloud to enhance the security of the RMS service by enabling customers to ‘bring your own key’ (BYOK).

By using a Thales nShield HSM on-premise an organisation can generate and securely transfer their critical Tenant Key (the customer’s master key) to Thales HSMs in Windows Azure where it is used to underpin the security of their RMS service. This gives organisations complete custody and visibility over the use of their master key and the reassurance that they can use the Microsoft service on their own terms.

“The Windows Azure RMS service is a great example of where the unique properties of the cloud can be exploited to transform the usability and value of traditionally in-house security systems and therefore greatly promote their adoption,” said Richard Moulds, vice president strategy at Thales e-Security. “Innovative capabilities such as the ‘bring your own key’ philosophy and the use of HSMs can protect both the consumer and the cloud provider and build the confidence to trust the service with an organization’s most valuable assets.

“As organisations focus on moving their more sensitive data and applications to the cloud the issue of retaining control takes centre stage and sound key management is an effective way of achieving that. The ability to release keys to cloud providers on a ‘need to use basis’ and to revoke them as necessary will be an increasingly powerful tool.”     

Thales e-Security is a division of Thales, which has divisions covering Aerospace & Transportation and the Defence & Security markets. In IT security, the Group specialises in cryptographic security solutions for government and military infrastructure, satellite constellations, enterprise customers and financial institutions.