Encryption key management solution launched by coalition of seven companies

Seven organisations have joined to launch an interoperability specification for encryption key management.

Designed to aid IT security, compliance and data recovery, Brocade, RSA, HP, IBM, LSI, Seagate and Thales have worked together to create a jointly developed specification for enterprise key management.

KMIP is designed to provide a single, comprehensive protocol for communication between enterprise key management services and encryption systems. It is designed to allow companies to reduce risk by removing redundant and incompatible key management processes.

The companies intend to submit KMIP to the Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards for advancement through the organisation's open standards process.

Charles Kolodgy, research director at IDC, said: “Time and time again, our research shows the primary barrier to the widespread use of encryption is the fear that encrypted data will be lost – slowing the adoption of encryption. Users are demanding strong key management systems and advancing this work through the open standards process offers tangible benefits for vendors, developers and enterprises alike.”

Laurent Liscia, executive director of OASIS, said: “The IT community is asking for open standards and interoperability to help meet the increasing demand for encryption. We applaud Brocade, HP, IBM, LSI, RSA, Seagate and Thales for choosing to advance KMIP through the open standards process, and we encourage others in the security community—both users and providers—to participate in the standardisation of this very important work.”

See original article on scmagazineuk.com