Unique bring your own key capability enables you to have total control over your keys and sensitive data in the Azure Cloud

Plantation, Fl - March 31, 2015 - Thales, leader in information systems and communications security and pioneer with Microsoft in bring your own key (BYOK) technology, announces the launch of its BYOK Deployment Service Package. The new service offering makes the process of creating and securely transferring keys to Microsoft Azure cloud easy and allows organizations to take advantage of cloud services with greater confidence.

Cloud services like Microsoft Azure Rights Management Services (RMS) offer organizations flexibility, convenience and cost-effectiveness. BYOK provides the added confidence that the keys used to protect your sensitive data in the cloud are under your exclusive control.

The Thales BYOK Deployment Service Package provides everything you need to safely generate and transfer your own keys to the Microsoft Azure cloud. The service package includes an nShield hardware security module (HSM) and the professional services to quickly get you cloud-ready and in control of your sensitive data and keys in the cloud.

Key benefits:

Take advantage of cloud services with confidence
Secure your sensitive data with keys that you fully control and are never visible to Microsoft
Ease of deployment - receive expert guidance on how to securely generate and securely transfer your keys to the cloud
Protect and manage your keys on your premises with robust FIPS 140-2 certified hardware
Dan Plastina, Group Manager, Microsoft says:
"The Azure Rights Management service helps customer safeguard their data, both inside and outside of the organization. Our collaboration with Thales on BYOK puts the customer in control of their keys. Organizations can generate their RMS master keys on-premises, using their own Thales HSMs, and then securely transfer those keys to our Azure-hosted Thales HSMs. The new Thales BYOK Deployment Service Package now makes the process of getting started even easier, providing everything that's required to successfully deploy, generate, and transfer your own keys to the Azure cloud."

Richard Moulds, vice president strategy at Thales e-Security says:
"The goal for any security-oriented cloud service 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. BYOK 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. Customers new to hardware security module technology often find that expert assistance can make for a smooth and secure deployment and our BYOK Deployment Service can be tailored to meet a customer's specific need."

Expert consultancy
Thales Advanced Solutions Group (ASG) is ready to help you deploy BYOK for your Azure cloud. A dedicated consultant will spend time at your location to explain the technology behind BYOK and take you step-by-step through the process of generating your own keys on your own premises. The consultant will instruct you on how to securely transfer these keys to the Azure cloud, and help you plan the key generation ceremony as well as assist you in conducting it. In addition, you will be left with a step-by-step document detailing the ceremony for future reference.

Supporting resources:
Whitepaper: Hardware Key Management in the RMS Cloud www.thales-esecurity.com/msrms
Microsoft RMS BYOK Guidance: technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn440580.aspx
Updates on Microsoft RMS: www.twitter.com/TheRMSGuy

Visit Thales at booth South Expo #S607, RSA Conference, Moscone Center, San Francisco, April 20-24, 2015 and speak with our team about our BYOK Deployment Service.

For industry insight and views on the latest key management trends check out our blog www.thales-esecurity.com/blogs

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