New member of the data protection squad

Confidential Cloud Computing is changing the way businesses can address their critical security concerns – the protection of data during processing

In an increasingly data-driven world, enterprises are increasingly leveraging cloud computing to drive digital transformation and innovation. However, as data becomes the currency of the digital age, data protection has become a key area of focus for businesses. The primary strategy that cloud service providers (CSPs) and businesses use to protect data in the cloud is data encryption, which helps protect data in transit and data at rest.

However, to achieve a higher grade of data protection, data must be protected even during processing. This is because before data undergoes processing by an application, it needs to be decrypted in memory. This makes the data susceptible to potential threats such as memory dumps, root user compromises, and other malicious exploits, both just before, during and immediately after the processing takes place.

CCC enables privacy-preserving machine learning, where AI models can be trained collaboratively on combined datasets without revealing individual data points.

An emerging technology known as Confidential Cloud Computing (CCC) is showing incredible promise in helping to solve a key security challenge, the security of data while it is being processed.

CONFIDENTIAL CLOUD COMPUTING

Confidential Cloud Computing is an approach to safeguard the data during processing. While traditional security measures focus on using symmetric or asymmetric encryption to protect data at rest (data that is stored) or data in transit (data moving between locations), CCC approaches ensure that data remains encrypted and secure, even while being processed.

CCC employs a variety of technologies to achieve the data protection it offers. On one end of the spectrum, purely algorithmic solutions exist which include cryptographic approaches such as Homomorphic Encryption and Secure Multiparty Computation. On the other end of the spectrum, there are hardware-based methods such as Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), which have emerged as powerful solutions.

CCC technologies essentially create secure enclaves, a space where code and data are executed and stored separately, and cannot be tampered with by other software running in the same system, including the operating system. They can employ Confidential Virtual Machines (CVMs), also known as shielded VMs. These encrypted virtual machines are created where guest operating systems and data are encrypted.

HOW CCC ENHANCES PRIVACY

Confidential Cloud Computing has been in the spotlight because it offers a comprehensive approach to data security, ensuring end-to-end encryption throughout the data lifecycle.

One of the key advantages of CCC is that it potentially enables secure data sharing and collaboration between different parties without exposing the actual underlying data. This capability proves invaluable in industries like healthcare research and supply chain management, where data sharing is critical for future innovation, but has been fraught with privacy concerns.

Businesses can process and analyse sensitive data in the cloud without hesitation, which enhances their data utilisation.

Furthermore, CCC also enables privacy-preserving machine learning, where AI models can be trained collaboratively on combined datasets without revealing individual data points. This can lead to advancements in AI, while offering data protection, enabling organisations to collaborate and collectively benefit from shared insights while protecting their sensitive information.

Confidential Computing is poised for exponential growth, according to a recent report by MarketsandMarkets, which indicates that the global market size is projected to reach USD59.4 billion by the year 2028, growing at a CAGR of 62.1% from 2023 to 2028. A significant reason for this growth would be due to modern Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) offering hardware-based Confidential Cloud Computing to customers, which makes migration a breeze.

IMPACT OF CCC ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

CCC instils confidence in organisations to utilise cloud computing to its fullest potential. Businesses can process and analyse sensitive data in the cloud without hesitation, which enhances their data utilisation, and gives them a way to leverage data which they couldn’t tap into before. This can potentially lead to wider adoption amongst industries where cloud adoption has been a challenge in the past due to privacy concerns. It can also unlock tremendous potential in the healthcare or financial services domain, where AI and machine learning show potential to solve some fundamental challenges, but data protection has been a challenge.

Furthermore, CCC enables secure collaboration among organisations across geographical boundaries. This is particularly relevant in research, healthcare, and finance, where secure data sharing is essential for global progress.

CCC enables secure collaboration among organisations across geographical boundaries. This is particularly relevant in research, healthcare, and finance.

Last, but not least, it helps organisations meet stringent data privacy regulations and compliance requirements. By ensuring data confidentiality during cloud processing, organisations can adhere to data protection laws more effectively. This is especially important in light of increasingly stringent safeguards that regulatory bodies are pushing organisations to deploy while dealing with sensitive customer data.

THE FUTURE OUTLOOK

As Confidential Cloud Computing is adopted more widely, it has the potential to reshape industries, drive innovation, and lay the foundation for a more

secure and privacy-focused future. It would accelerate digital transformation by allowing businesses to confidently embrace the cloud and unlock the full potential of their data, while simultaneously safeguarding the privacy and security of their customers and stakeholders.

The benefits span across industries, from healthcare and finance to cloud computing, research, and supply chain management. Eventually, CCC will become vital for organisations to embrace to remain competitive, trustworthy, and at the forefront of data-driven advancements.

By Mohammed Imran K R

The author is the CTO at E2E Networks Ltd.

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