Fortanix: Confidential computing can safe data-in-use 

In a world crammed with on-demand connectivity, encryption at relaxation isn’t sufficient. With greater than 4,145 publicly disclosed information breaches occurring final yr alone — classical approaches to community safety are failing to maintain up, and confidential computing may provide a possible answer. 

Confidential computing allows organizations to separate and encrypt their information in a hardware-based Trusted Execution Atmosphere (TEE) in order that it’s not uncovered to the infrastructure processing it. This implies even when a risk actor manages to compromise the infrastructure, they received’t have the ability to entry the underlying information in use. 

It’s an method to safety that’s capturing plenty of curiosity, notably for multicloud safety firm Fortanix, which right this moment introduced it has raised $90 million as a part of a collection C funding spherical, bringing the group’s complete quantity raised to over $122 million. 

The necessity for confidential computing 

With cloud adoption accelerating through the COVID-19 pandemic and rising 25% final yr alone, it has turn into more and more clear that conventional perimeter-based approaches to community safety aren’t able to defending information because it strikes all through fashionable enterprise environments. 

“Companies and authorities companies are searching for a brand new method to maintain valuable information secure no matter the place it’s, particularly within the cloud. They require safety of their delicate and controlled information, all through its lifecycle — at relaxation, in movement and in use,” mentioned Ambuj Kumar, CEO and cofounder of Fortanix.

“Organizations are additionally having to deal with the worldwide proliferation of knowledge and privateness laws corresponding to HIPAA, GDPR and Shrems II,” Kumar mentioned. 

Kumar explains that confidential computing, which Fortanix pioneered, protects purposes and delicate information whereas “in use” from unauthorized entry. 

A chook’s-eye view of the confidential computing house 

Whereas the confidential computing house remains to be in its infancy, there are numerous world-renowned suppliers investing in these options. 

Microsoft Azure, IBM, Google Cloud, and AWS (AWS Nitro System) are simply among the many suppliers experimenting within the house to innovate new providers to assist organizations sustain with rapidly evolving information privateness requirements. 

Extra broadly, curiosity available in the market is important sufficient that Everest Group has forecast that the confidential computing market can be value $54 billion by 2026, rising at a Compound Annual Development Price (CAGR) of 90-95%. 

As one of many key gamers within the confidential computing market, Fortanix isn’t simply competing with Azure, IBM, and AWS, it’s additionally competing in opposition to legacy information safety distributors like Thales. 

Thales’ information safety answer is known as the CipherTrust Information Safety Platform. It gives information discovery, classification, and safety for information at relaxation, in on-premise, cloud, and hybrid IT environments. Thales just lately introduced elevating $19.9 billion in order consumption final yr. 

One other competitor is HashiCorp with an answer referred to as Vault, a safe vault designed to guard secrets and techniques, tokens, passwords, certificates, and encryption keys with an encryption-as-a-service providing. HashiCorp most just lately raised $175 million as a part of a collection E funding spherical in March 2020, bringing its valuation to $5.1 billion.

At this stage, the important thing differentiator between Fortanix and legacy rivals is its concentrate on encryption in use, and its data-centric method to defending cloud environments.