Cloud data security firm Fortanix has unveiled a new search offering called Fortanix Confidential Data Search. This search capability is designed specifically for encrypted databases within enterprise cloud workflows. The company claims that this offering allows data analysts to use off-the-shelf, unmodified databases in a standard SQL environment, without needing to convert datasets or deploy proprietary agents.
Richard Searle, Vice President of Confidential Computing at Fortanix, explains that Confidential Data Search supports a range of regulatory compliance controls, ensuring that data security and privacy regulations are not compromised. This makes it a reliable solution for organizations operating in industries with strict regulatory requirements, such as healthcare and finance.
The offering will be made available for early trials in the second half of 2023 as part of Fortanix’s data security manager (DSM) SaaS. With its powerful search capabilities, Fortanix Confidential Data Search aims to provide data analysts with a confidential and unrestricted search experience.
Fortanix’s search technology is built on their proprietary confidential computing technology, which uses runtime encryption. This technology ensures that encryption keys are securely stored within a trusted enclave such as Intel SGX, AMD SEV-SNP, and AWS Nitro Enclaves. By leveraging this technology, data analysts can use unmodified databases and a familiar SQL environment to retrieve accurate results faster. There is no need for complex database conversions or the use of proprietary agents.
Searle emphasizes that the solution uses proven encryption standards, including readiness for post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This ensures that the solution is reliable and trustworthy, even in the face of evolving security threats. Additionally, Fortanix’s Confidential Data Search utilizes commodity databases and hardware, enabling cost-effective and efficient deployment.
Legacy solutions currently available on the market often introduce complexity and rely on heavy cryptographic technologies. Fortanix aims to simplify the data-searching process by eliminating the need for costly decryption processes for each search query. Jack Poller, a senior analyst at ESG Global, highlights that this capability allows organizations to accelerate their big data and business analytics programs, operating at greater speed and scale.
The current technologies that enable secure searches of encrypted data, such as homomorphic encryption, often restrict the scope of search parameters, limiting searches to numerical data only. Fortanix’s Confidential Data Search overcomes these limitations and supports data analysis across different geographies, accommodating varying regulatory and compliance controls like HIPAA, GDPR, FINMA, and PCI-DSS.
Poller explains that while confidential computing has been available from cloud service providers for a couple of years, organizations previously had to build their own data analytics environments. These environments required extensive work to protect data, manage encryption keys, provide granular access controls, and safeguard confidential and sensitive search results. Fortanix’s solution eliminates the need for organizations to go through this costly and time-consuming development process.
To demonstrate the capabilities of this new search offering, Fortanix will be showcasing it at the 2023 Confidential Computing Summit in San Francisco on June 29. With Fortanix Confidential Data Search, organizations can benefit from secure, efficient, and compliant data analysis, enabling them to unlock valuable insights while maintaining the highest levels of data security and privacy.