Storage Service Encryption (SSE) is a feature in Microsoft Azure that provides encryption-at-rest for data stored in Azure Storage. SSE automatically encrypts data before it is written to disk and decrypts it when it is retrieved, providing a high level of security for sensitive data.
There are two types of SSE in Azure:
- SSE with Microsoft-managed keys (SSE-SMK): With SSE-SMK, Azure Storage manages the encryption keys used to encrypt the data. The keys are encrypted with keys managed by Azure Key Vault, and access to the keys is controlled using Azure Active Directory (AD).
- SSE with customer-managed keys (SSE-CMK): With SSE-CMK, the customer manages the encryption keys used to encrypt the data. The keys are stored in Azure Key Vault, which provides a secure and centralized location for key management.
Here are some examples of how SSE can be used:
- Protecting sensitive data: SSE can be used to protect sensitive data, such as financial information, personally identifiable information (PII), or healthcare data. By encrypting this data at rest, SSE ensures that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized users or entities.
- Compliance requirements: Many compliance standards require data to be encrypted at rest. SSE can help organizations meet these requirements by providing a secure encryption solution that is built into Azure Storage.
- Multi-tenancy: SSE can be used in multi-tenant environments to ensure that each tenant’s data is isolated and encrypted separately. This provides an additional layer of security and protection for customer data.
- Peace of mind: SSE provides an extra layer of security and peace of mind for organizations that want to ensure that their data is protected. With SSE, organizations can rest assured that their data is encrypted and secure, even in the event of a security breach.
Overall, SSE is an important feature of Azure Storage that provides a high level of security and protection for data stored in the cloud.
