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Azure Key Vault VS Azure Information Protection

Compare Azure Key Vault VS Azure Information Protection and see what are their differences

Azure Key Vault logo Azure Key Vault

Safeguard cryptographic keys and other secrets used by cloud apps and services with Microsoft Azure Key Vault. Try it now.

Azure Information Protection logo Azure Information Protection

An technical overview of the Azure Information Protection service, which helps an organization label documents and emails to classify and protect its data, wherever it resides.
  • Azure Key Vault Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • Azure Information Protection Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-08

Azure Key Vault features and specs

  • Centralized Management
    Azure Key Vault provides a unified location to manage keys, secrets, and certificates, reducing administrative complexity and improving security.
  • Scalability
    The service scales automatically to handle increased demand, making it suitable for both small applications and large enterprise solutions.
  • High Availability
    Azure Key Vault ensures high availability with automatic replication and geo-redundant storage options.
  • Enhanced Security
    Keys are protected by Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) and access policies can be set to enforce strict controls on who can access the data.
  • Compliance
    Azure Key Vault helps organizations meet various compliance standards (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) by securely managing and auditing access to keys and secrets.
  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with other Azure services, such as Azure Active Directory, Azure Storage, and Azure App Service, to provide end-to-end security solutions.
  • Auditing and Logging
    Offers built-in monitoring and logging features to track access and usage of keys, aiding in accountability and compliance efforts.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Key Vault

  • Cost
    The service can become expensive depending on the volume of keys, secrets, or certificates being managed and the number of operations performed.
  • Complexity
    Integrating Azure Key Vault with existing systems and setting up the appropriate access policies can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Latency
    There might be a small latency introduced when accessing secrets or keys stored in the Key Vault, which could impact performance for some time-sensitive applications.
  • Learning Curve
    Administrators and developers may require training to fully understand and effectively use Azure Key Vault, especially if they are new to Azure services.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying on Azure Key Vault ties your key management strategy closely to Microsoft's ecosystem, which could be a concern if you plan to switch cloud providers in the future.
  • Regional Availability
    While Azure Key Vault is available in many regions, it might not be available in all geographic areas, which could limit its use for globally distributed applications.

Azure Information Protection features and specs

  • Comprehensive Data Protection
    Azure Information Protection offers a wide range of protection features, including classification, labeling, and encryption, ensuring that organizational data is secure both at rest and in transit.
  • Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
    Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft services like Microsoft 365, allowing for consistent data protection policies across commonly used platforms.
  • Scalable and Flexible
    Offers scalability and flexibility to organizations of different sizes, allowing them to customize and apply protection policies as needed.
  • User-Friendly
    Provides an intuitive interface that allows users to easily classify and protect data without needing extensive IT support.
  • Advanced Analytics and Tracking
    Enables tracking and reporting of document usage, helping organizations understand data flows and prevent unauthorized access.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Information Protection

  • Complexity in Initial Setup
    The initial setup and configuration of Azure Information Protection can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for organizations without a dedicated IT department.
  • Cost Considerations
    The licensing costs associated with Azure Information Protection can be significant, especially for smaller organizations or those on a tight budget.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a learning curve involved for users and administrators to fully understand and utilize all the features and functionalities effectively.
  • Dependence on Internet Connectivity
    Since it is a cloud-based service, consistent internet connectivity is required for its full functionality, which may be a limitation in certain scenarios.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There might be compatibility challenges when integrating with non-Microsoft applications or legacy systems, potentially complicating the implementation.

Analysis of Azure Key Vault

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Azure Key Vault is generally regarded as a good service due to its strong security features, ease of integration with other Azure services, and robust compliance with regulatory standards. It provides a reliable platform for managing cryptographic keys and secrets.

Why this product is good

  • Azure Key Vault is considered a robust solution for managing and securing secrets, keys, and certificates. It provides centralized key management that allows you to control your encryption keys, secrets management to securely store and tightly control access to tokens, passwords, and API keys, along with certificate management, making it simpler to handle SSL/TLS certificates. Its integration with Azure services and compliance with industry standards contributes to its reputation as a good choice for enterprises seeking secure and scalable cloud solutions.

Recommended for

    Azure Key Vault is recommended for businesses and developers who need secure management of keys, secrets, and certificates. It is especially suitable for organizations already using Azure services, those requiring compliance with industry standards such as ISO, SOC, and FedRAMP, and businesses looking to automate and streamline their security and management processes.

Azure Key Vault videos

Azure Key Vault Tutorial | Secure secrets, keys and certificates easily

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Azure Key Vault Basics : How to keep ‘secrets’ secret
  • Tutorial - How to securely store and load secrets using Azure Key Vault in .NET Core (using a certificate)

Azure Information Protection videos

An Introduction to Microsoft Azure Information Protection

More videos:

  • Review - Azure Information Protection: Unified labeling, on-prem scanning and protection across platforms
  • Review - Got Azure Information Protection? Navigating unified labeling policy configuration | BRK2120

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Key Vault and Azure Information Protection)
Security & Privacy
62 62%
38% 38
Cloud Storage
44 44%
56% 56
Monitoring Tools
35 35%
65% 65
Password Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure Key Vault should be more popular than Azure Information Protection. It has been mentiond 20 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure Key Vault mentions (20)

  • Do You Really Know Where Your API Keys End Up? A Security Guide for Fintech Developers
    Step 3. Use a Secrets Manager Environment variables have some limitations in production environments. Consider using a specialized secrets manager such as AWS Secrets Manager, Google Secret Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or Azure Key Vault. - Source: dev.to / 7 days ago
  • Building A URL Shortener With Neon and Azure Serverless Functions
    Next, we create the connection to our database. Replace [YOUR_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING] with the string you copied from the Neon dashboard. For security reasons, you would likely want to use a service like Azure Key Vault to manage your keys in a production environment, but for now, just placing them in the script will do. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Secrets Management in Kubernetes: Best Practices for Security
    Integration with External Systems Kubernetes External Secrets can integrate with tools like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, and Google Cloud Secret Manager. For instance, to use HashiCorp Vault:. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Serverless Security Best Practices
    Utilize specialized tools like AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault,  or Azure Key Vault for secrets management in your serverless environments. These tools keep sensitive data out of function code and configurations and bring advanced features to the table:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Kubernetes Secret Management
    Azure Key Vault is a cloud-based service provided by Microsoft Azure that enables secure storage and management of secrets. It integrates well with Kubernetes, allowing organizations to centralize and control access to secrets within their Azure infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Azure Information Protection mentions (3)

  • How to prepare for SC-400 Exam ?.
    Basic knowledge of information protection concepts. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • encrypt USB hard drive to work inside the domain
    We use Azure Information Protection (AIP) and we have a policy not allowing flash drives. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Document Classification
    Theyre talking about Microsoft Azure Information Protection which is not interactable from vba. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Key Vault and Azure Information Protection, you can also consider the following products

AWS CloudHSM - Data Security

Egnyte - Enterprise File Sharing

Arcserve UDP - Arcserve UDP is data backup & recovery software that deals with unified data protection solutions, making you protect your computer system by creating data stores on the recovery point server.

OpenSSH - OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH connectivity tools that technical users rely on.

Sophos SafeGuard Encryption - Centrally managed full-disk and file encryption with options to synchronize with award winning Sophos endpoint protection for automated, proactive data protection.

GnuPG - GnuPG is a complete and free implementation of the OpenPGP standard as defined by RFC4880 (also known as PGP).