• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Townsend Stores Encryption Keys in the Cloud

    October 22, 2013 Alex Woodie

    The cloud keeps getting more secure every day. And now, Townsend Security–a vendor that knows a thing or two about how to do security right–even wants to store the encryption keys for your cloud-based applications in a hardware security module (HSM) that itself lives in the cloud.

    Finding a safe place to store encryption keys is an important, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of good security management. If you lose those encryption keys or they’re stolen, your data is gone for good. Your encryption software vendor doesn’t have a “skeleton” key to recover the data, and it’s doubtful the National Security Agency (which probably does have a backdoor) will help you out.

    So, where should you put the keys? You should never, ever store the encryption keys on the same server that holds the encrypted data–that’s just bad form. Many firms actually lock their keys in physical safes that only the CEO, COO, or other officers can open. Other firms choose to use something like Townsend’s HSM, which is a hardened X64 server specifically designed to run Townsend’s Alliance Key Manager product to store and protect encryption keys.

    With last week’s announcement, Townsend is giving customers one more option: an HSM equipped with Alliance Key Manager living in the cloud, which eliminates the need for customers to manage yet one more X64 server.

    Currently, Townsend’s Alliance Key Manager Hosted HSM option only works with applications that already live in the cloud. The offering supports the big cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Windows Azure, Rackspace, Hosting.com, and IBM’s SmartCloud.

    Townsend’s cloud-based HSM offering supports production clouds from Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Rackspace, and more.

    Townsend’s customers maintain full control over the entire lifecycle of their keys. The cloud-based HSM is replicated in a high availability, geographically separated manner, ensuring continuity of the keys in the event of a disaster. And if a customer wants to move their apps from, say, Amazon AWS to Hosting.com, the keys will support that migration, as opposed to becoming another headache in the migration process.

    The big question, of course, is whether the cloud is a safe enough place for a HSM. The Alliance Key Manager and the HSM are FIPS 140-2 certified, which means they’ve been deemed safe enough for the Federal Government to use. According to Townsend, the cloud HSM offering is deployed in an ITIL environment that’s validated for PCI DSS and SOC compliance.

    “The top concern of enterprises moving to the cloud is data protection, and encryption key management is the cornerstone of a data protection strategy,” said Patrick Townsend, founder and CEO of Townsend Security. “Cloud users and cloud providers now have an option for affordable encryption key management that is NIST FIPS 140-2 compliant and fully under their control.”

    (You may have noticed that Patrick Townsend is once again at the helm of the company that he founded and that bears his name. Joan Ross, who was hired earlier this year to lead Townsend and was CEO for about two months, is no longer with the company. Townsend has not elaborated on why the two parties parted ways.)

    Townsend Security is waiving the setup fees associated with deploying the Alliance Key Manager Hosted HSM offering through the end of the year. For more information see www.townsendsecurity.com.

    RELATED STORIES

    Townsend Gets VMware Certification for Encryption Key Manager

    Townsend Adopts KMIP for License Key Interoperability

    Townsend Gets Added to GSA Schedule



                         Post this story to del.icio.us
                   Post this story to Digg
        Post this story to Slashdot

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Trying to balance stability and agility in your IBM i environment?

    Join this webinar and explore Visual LANSA 16 – our enhanced professional low-code platform designed to help organizations running on IBM i evolve seamlessly for what’s next.

    🎙️VISUAL LANSA 16 WEBINAR

    Break Monolithic IBM i Applications and Unlock New Value

    Explore modernization without rewriting. Decouple monolithic applications and extend their value through integration with modern services, web frameworks, and cloud technologies.

    🗓️ July 10, 2025

    ⏰ 9 AM – 10 AM CDT (4 PM to 5 PM CEST)

    See the webinar schedule in your time zone

    Register to join the webinar now

    What to Expect

    • Get to know Visual LANSA 16, its core features, latest enhancements, and use cases
    • Understand how you can transition to a MACH-aligned architecture to enable faster innovation
    • Discover native REST APIs, WebView2 support, cloud-ready Azure licensing, and more to help transform and scale your IBM i applications

    Read more about V16 here.

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    BCD:  Recorded Webinar: How to Simplify RPG or PHP Mobile Development with jQuery
    SEA:  Authority on Demand (AOD) controls user permissions while responding to emergencies.
    Four Hundred Monitor Calendar:  Latest info on national conferences, local events, & Webinars.

    More IT Jungle Resources:

    System i PTF Guide: Weekly PTF Updates
    IBM i Events Calendar: National Conferences, Local Events, and Webinars
    Breaking News: News Hot Off The Press
    TPM @ EnterpriseTech: High Performance Computing Industry News From ITJ EIC Timothy Prickett Morgan

    Integrated Systems Drove $1.2 Billion In Sales In Q2, Says IDC Responsive Web Design

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 13, Number 30 -- October 22, 2013
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

CCSS
Databorough
SEA - Software Engineering of America
Essextec
TECA Data

Table of Contents

  • Raz-Lee Supports IPv6 with IBM i Security Software
  • Robot/CONSOLE Gets IASP Support, Is Now Ready for PowerHA
  • RPG Toolkit Updated for TR7 Capabilities
  • Halcyon Tidies Up Journal Receivers, Tightens Up QAUDJRN
  • Townsend Stores Encryption Keys in the Cloud
  • Magic Adds Mobile Device Management to Mix
  • Tectrade to Sell LaserVault UBD in Europe
  • Jack Henry Debuts Outsourced Call Center Service
  • IBS Bundles All Enterprise Apps Into Business Suite 2014
  • Micro Focus Finally Goes GA with RUMBA for iPad

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
  • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
  • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
  • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle