With the increasing use of cloud services and data storage on the internet, data security and privacy have become increasingly relevant concerns.
To deal with these issues, confidential computing emerges as an innovative technology that allows the processing of sensitive data in a protected and isolated environment, ensuring that the data remains inaccessible to unauthorized access, even for the applications that manipulate it.
In this article, we will explore in more depth what confidential computing is, how it works, and its importance in protecting sensitive data.
What is confidential computing?
Innovative confidential computing technology is capable of processing data in a protected and isolated environment to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. To guarantee the security of data during processing, specialized hardware is used, such as cryptographic processors and secure memories, making it inaccessible, including for the applications that manipulate it.
This technology is especially valuable for companies and organizations that handle sensitive information such as financial data, personal customer information, medical information, and intellectual property information. Confidential computing provides a high level of security, protecting data at all stages of processing, from input to output from the system.
How does confidential computing work?
Confidential computing technology is specialized hardware and software that work together to maintain data security during processing. Specialized hardware creates a secure, isolated environment, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Cryptographic processors are an example of specialized hardware used in confidential computing. They perform encryption and decryption algorithms much faster and more efficiently than conventional processors. Furthermore, secure memories are used to protect data at rest, preventing it from being accessed or compromised by unauthorized people.
In turn, the software is responsible for managing access to data and ensuring that it is not compromised during processing. It also encrypts data before processing, ensuring that even in the event of a leak, data cannot be accessed without the correct encryption key.
How important is confidential computing?
Confidential computing is crucial to ensuring the privacy and security of sensitive data during processing. Companies that handle sensitive information such as customer data, financial information, and intellectual property rely on this technology to protect that data. Additionally, confidential computing is critical to helping companies comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR.
Confidential computing technology is also effective in protecting users’ data in cloud services such as file storage and email. This is especially important because cloud services are often targets of attacks by hackers looking for sensitive information.
What are the main reasons to make use of confidential computing?
Below, we list some of the main reasons to make use of confidential computing:
Protection of sensitive data
Confidential computing technology is indispensable in protecting sensitive data against internal and external threats. Using specialized hardware, confidential computing isolates the data processing environment, ensuring that data is kept secure even if the system is compromised.
Companies that handle financial information, medical data, and customer information need to ensure the security of that data, and confidential computing technology is one of the best ways to achieve this goal.
Compliance with privacy regulations
With growing concerns about data privacy, regulations are becoming increasingly strict regarding the protection of sensitive data. Using confidential computing can help companies comply with privacy regulations such as LGPD, ensuring data is protected during processing. This helps you avoid fines and penalties for privacy violations.
Protection of personal data in cloud services
With the increasing adoption of cloud services, protecting personal data has become a growing concern. Confidential computing can help protect users’ data in cloud services, such as file storage and email, from hacker attacks.
Increased privacy
Confidential computing can increase data privacy by ensuring that only authorized applications can access data and that it is properly authenticated.
This makes it more difficult for attackers to compromise data, reducing the risk of security breaches.
Reducing risks and costs
The use of confidential computing can help reduce the risk of sensitive data being leaked and, consequently, reduce the costs associated with data security incidents.
With less risk of data leaks, companies can save on security-related expenses, such as investments in security systems, security audits, and fines for privacy violations.
How to use confidential computing in companies?
The use of confidential computing in companies can be done in several ways, depending on the specific needs of each company. One of the most common ways is through confidential cloud services such as IBM Cloud Data Shield and Microsoft Azure Confidential Computing.
These confidential cloud services provide a secure and isolated environment for processing sensitive data, using specialized hardware and software to ensure data protection. They also provide tools for managing data access and monitoring user activities.
Another way to use confidential computing is through the use of specialized hardware such as Intel SGX. This hardware is designed to create a secure and isolated environment for data processing, ensuring the protection of sensitive data. It also provides tools to manage data access and monitor user activities.
In conclusion, confidential computing is an innovative technology that offers a new approach to protecting sensitive data in cloud computing. It uses specialized hardware and software to ensure data security during processing, making it inaccessible even to the applications that manipulate it.
Confidential computing is important because it ensures the privacy and security of sensitive data during processing, helping companies comply with privacy regulations and reduce the risks and costs associated with data security incidents.
Enjoyed learning about the benefits of confidential computing? Take the opportunity to check out our article on Server Security, and discover how to further protect your information and ensure the integrity of your data.
