Azure Database Always Encrypted is a security feature in Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance that helps protect sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, from unauthorized access. Always Encrypted allows you to encrypt your sensitive data at rest and in motion without revealing the encryption keys to the database engine or application. This feature provides an added layer of protection for your data, reducing the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and theft.
To use Azure Database Always Encrypted, you need to follow these steps:
- Create an encryption key hierarchy: You can use either Azure Key Vault or Windows Certificate Store to store your encryption keys. The encryption keys are used to encrypt and decrypt your sensitive data. Always Encrypted supports two types of encryption keys: column encryption keys and column master keys.
- Create a column master key: A column master key is used to protect the column encryption keys. You can create a column master key in Azure Key Vault or Windows Certificate Store.
- Create a column encryption key: A column encryption key is used to encrypt and decrypt your sensitive data. You can create a column encryption key in Azure Key Vault or Windows Certificate Store.
- Configure column encryption: You can use the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Azure Portal to configure column encryption. You need to specify the column encryption key that you want to use to encrypt the sensitive data.
- Update your application: You need to update your application to use the column encryption key to encrypt and decrypt the sensitive data. You can use the Always Encrypted enabled client drivers to perform the encryption and decryption.
By following these steps, you can use Azure Database Always Encrypted to protect your sensitive data. Always Encrypted helps you to comply with industry and government regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
