# Best Encryption Key Management Software - Page 8 *By [Lauren Worth](https://research.g2.com/insights/author/lauren-worth)* Encryption key management software is used to handle the administration, distribution, and storage of encryption keys. Proper management will ensure encryption keys, and therefore the encryption and decryption of their sensitive information, are only accessible for approved parties. IT and security professionals use these solutions to ensure access to highly sensitive information remains secured. Encryption key management software also provides tools to protect the keys in storage, as well as backup functionality to prevent data loss. Additionally, encryption key management software includes functionality to securely distribute keys to approved parties and enforce policies related to key sharing. Certain general [encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption) provide key management capabilities. Still, those solutions will only provide limited features for key management, distribution, and policy enforcement. To qualify for inclusion in the Encryption Key Management category, a product must: - Provide compliance management capabilities for encryption keys - Include key storage and backup functionality - Enforce security policies related to key storage and distribution ## Category Overview **Total Products under this Category:** 69 ## Trust & Credibility Stats **Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:** - 30 Analysts and Data Experts - 2,200+ Authentic Reviews - 69+ Products - Unbiased Rankings G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category. ## Best Encryption Key Management Software At A Glance - **Leader:** [Egnyte](https://www.g2.com/products/egnyte/reviews) - **Highest Performer:** [Akeyless Identity Security Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/akeyless-identity-security-platform/reviews) - **Easiest to Use:** [Doppler secrets management platform](https://www.g2.com/products/doppler-secrets-management-platform/reviews) - **Top Trending:** [Keyfactor Command](https://www.g2.com/products/keyfactor-command/reviews) - **Best Free Software:** [Egnyte](https://www.g2.com/products/egnyte/reviews) --- **Sponsored** ### SecureW2 JoinNow SecureW2 is a cloud-native authentication solution designed to enhance security by eliminating credential compromise through its innovative JoinNow Platform. This platform combines Dynamic Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Cloud RADIUS to facilitate real-time trust validation and continuous authentication for users accessing networks and applications. Each access request initiates an identity-based risk assessment, which determines the issuance of certificates and the corresponding access privileges. Once access is granted, the system continuously validates the compliance of devices, ensuring that only verified entities maintain their authorization. The JoinNow Platform caters to a diverse range of users, including K-12 and higher education institutions, mid-market businesses, and global enterprises. By providing scalable and resilient authentication solutions, SecureW2 addresses the unique security needs of various sectors without placing an additional burden on IT teams. The platform's ability to seamlessly integrate with existing identity providers, such as Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), Okta, and Google Workspace, allows organizations to implement adaptive, passwordless authentication without the need for complex upgrades or disruptions. SecureW2 effectively tackles several prevalent security challenges. Credential compromise remains a significant concern, as traditional passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be vulnerable. By utilizing certificate-based authentication, SecureW2 eliminates these risks entirely. Additionally, the platform addresses high operational overhead associated with managing legacy security systems by automating certificate issuance, revocation, and lifecycle management. This automation not only saves IT resources but also enhances visibility and control, providing real-time insights into authentication processes. Key features of SecureW2 include its agentless architecture, which eliminates software bloat while ensuring secure and frictionless authentication. The extensive policy engine allows organizations to create customized policies that are automatically enforced both before and after authentication. Continuous authentication adapts in real time, validating access dynamically based on evolving security conditions. Furthermore, the platform’s interoperability ensures compatibility with any identity provider, mobile device management (MDM) system, and security stack, making it a versatile choice for organizations looking to enhance their security posture. In summary, SecureW2 redefines authentication for modern businesses by ensuring that every access request is trust-validated. Its scalable, lightweight design enables rapid deployment and effortless scaling, allowing organizations to maintain robust security without the complexities and costs typically associated with traditional authentication solutions. [Visit company website](https://www.g2.com/external_clickthroughs/record?secure%5Bad_program%5D=ppc&secure%5Bad_slot%5D=category_product_list&secure%5Bcategory_id%5D=1863&secure%5Bdisplayable_resource_id%5D=1497&secure%5Bdisplayable_resource_type%5D=Category&secure%5Bmedium%5D=sponsored&secure%5Bplacement_reason%5D=neighbor_category&secure%5Bplacement_resource_ids%5D%5B%5D=2599&secure%5Bprioritized%5D=false&secure%5Bproduct_id%5D=146605&secure%5Bresource_id%5D=1863&secure%5Bresource_type%5D=Category&secure%5Bsource_type%5D=category_page&secure%5Bsource_url%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.g2.com%2Fcategories%2Fencryption-key-management%3Fpage%3D8&secure%5Btoken%5D=6f341d21108946c6527d19eda1caf8c38ad348955863b76b04964341c6b8928e&secure%5Burl%5D=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.securew2.com%2Fjoinnow-platform%3Futm_source%3Dg2%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3Dcategory-listing&secure%5Burl_type%5D=custom_url) --- ## Parent Category [Data Security Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-security) ## Related Categories - [Encryption Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption-software) - [Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/certificate-lifecycle-management-clm) - [Secrets Management Tools](https://www.g2.com/categories/secrets-management-tools) --- ## Buyer Guide ### What You Should Know About Encryption Key Management Software ### What is Encryption Key Management Software? Encryption key management software assists companies with protecting and managing their cryptographic keys used for encrypting data on devices and in applications. Encryption key management software manages encryption keys throughout a key pair’s lifecycle, which includes key generation, exchange, use, integrity, availability, storage, backup or archive, revocation, and deregistration or destruction. On the backend, these tools manage encryption key generation, distribution, and replacement, while on the client side, the tools inject encryption keys and store and manage them on devices. These software solutions protect the keys by ensuring that only authenticated and authorized users can access them, preventing them from being disclosed, lost, misused, or intercepted by unauthorized parties. **What Do KMS and HSM Stand For?** KMS stands for key management systems. Key management systems are centralized hubs that manage the key lifecycle, including generation, certification, storage, usage, expiration, revocation, and retirement. Centralized key management systems work in conjunction with hardware security modules (HSMs). KMS may also be known by the following acronyms: CKMS, which is cryptographic key management system, or EKMS, which stands for enterprise key management system. HSM stands for hardware security modules. Hardware security modules are servers built to be tamper-resistant or tamper-proof. HSMs generate, retrieve, share, and protect keys. These are considered the most secure key storage as these are physically built to prevent tampering by using special tamper-resistant screws and sealants. #### What Types of Encryption Key Management Software Exist? **On-premises encryption key management** Some companies opt to store their key manager on-premises using a hardware security module (HSM), which is a server built to be tamper-resistant or tamper-proof.  **Cloud-based encryption key management** Some companies have complex key management needs and need a solution that scales to meet the volume and complexity of their encryption key transaction needs. Centralized cloud-based encryption key management can assist with symmetric and asymmetric key management and work with various databases, applications, and standards. Bring your own encryption (BYOE) or bring your own key (BYOK) is akin to the bring your own device (BYOD) security models—companies bring their own encryption key management software to deploy on public cloud infrastructure. However, this security model has trade-offs as this may entail giving cloud providers access to keys, which may not meet a company’s security policies.  **Key management as a service** Some cloud providers offer their own key management as a service solution in their cloud environments. ### What are the Common Features of Encryption Key Management Software? The following are some core features within encryption key management software: **Interoperability:** For companies that use multiple types of cryptographic keys and multiple software applications, interoperability is important. Many encryption key management solutions are based on standard protocols, including Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) standard or Public Key Crypto Standard (PKCS 11). Other solutions will rely on closed-source key management. **Policy management:** Companies may have specific policies for their encryption keys, including when to expire or revoke them or methods to prevent sharing the keys. Encryption key management software will enforce these policies. **Access management:** In addition to creating and managing the keys themselves, it is important to manage who has access permissions to those keys. Many companies employ a least-privilege policy where users and systems have the least access needed to achieve their role function. Encryption key management solutions can enforce those policies, ensuring that only authorized and authenticated users or systems have access to the keys can prevent misuse. These tools will also provide access and audit logs. **Backup:** If the keys are lost, access to the encrypted data will be unrecoverable without backup. Many encryption key management solutions offer backup features. ### What are the Benefits of Encryption Key Management Software? If not properly managed, encryption keys can fall into the wrong hands and be used to decrypt sensitive data. This can risk sensitive encrypted data or disrupt critical business information access. Managing encryption keys manually can be challenging to meet today’s business needs as the scale and complexity of applications used and the encryption and keys needed to secure those have grown, which is why many companies have opted for automated management solutions. If data encryption key management is managed manually, this time-consuming task may come at the expense of speed, availability, interoperability, accuracy, and integrity.  **Security:** The main purpose of encryption and, therefore, encryption key management is security. Encryption key management software assists in managing encryption keys at scale in a secure manner and remains available to meet business needs. **Meeting regulatory compliance:** Some highly regulated industries are bound by various data protection regulations for storing and managing encryption keys. Using encryption key management software, companies can meet requirements of regulations such as PCI DSS 3.2.1, NIST 800-53, and NIST 800-57. **Scalability:** Today’s businesses rely on multiple devices and applications needing encryption, meaning they need an encryption key management solution that scales at speed to generate, distribute, and manage the keys. This can mean the ability to generate hundreds of keys per minute. Many businesses require low latency and high availability for their keys. ### Who Uses Encryption Key Management Software? **Information security professionals:** Information security professionals use encryption key management solutions which may include on-premises solutions like HSMs, centralized cloud-based solutions, or cloud-infrastructure-specific software-as-a-service solutions. **IT professionals:** If a company does not have a dedicated information security (infosec) team, the responsibility for managing encryption keys falls on information technology (IT) teams. #### Software Related to Encryption Key Management Software Related solutions that can be used together with or as an alternative encryption key management software include: [Encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/encryption) **:** Companies use encryption software to protect the confidentiality and integrity of their data. Encryption software will turn plaintext into cipher text using encryption. Keys to unencrypt the data will be stored using encryption key management solutions. [Email encryption software](https://www.g2.com/categories/email-encryption) **:** To protect the confidentiality of data in transit, companies use email encryption software. Companies can use encryption key management solutions to protect the encryption keys.  [Certificate lifecycle management (CLM) software](https://www.g2.com/categories/certificate-lifecycle-management-clm) **:** Public key infrastructure (PKI) is an asymmetric encryption key management system that utilizes digital certificates such as SSL or TLS certificates and public keys to secure assets like website traffic. [Secrets management tools:](https://www.g2.com/categories/secrets-management-tools) Developer and DevOps teams, in particular, may utilize secrets management tools to store sensitive digital assets, such as encryption keys. ### Challenges with Encryption Key Management Software **BYOE or BYOK:** Companies must carefully understand who has access to their encryption keys. When utilizing a BYOE or BYOK security model, it is important to know who has access to the keys, including providers. **Scalability and availability:** It is important to ensure that generating, managing, utilizing, and retiring encryption keys meets your company’s scale and availability requirements. **Backup:** If encryption keys are lost, companies must have a backup plan. Ensure the software solution you are evaluating meets your specific backup needs. **Regionality:** Some geographic areas have data sovereignty and data residency requirements, so encryption keys may be managed differently based on the regional requirements. **Governance:** Some data may be governed by data protection regulations, and a company’s encryption and encryption key management policies may need to meet specific regulatory compliance needs. ### How to Buy Encryption Key Management Software #### Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Encryption Key Management Software Gather your company’s specific encryption key management requirements, including if you need to manage your encryption keys on-premises, with a centralized cloud key management offering, or using an infrastructure-specific encryption key management service. It is important to determine what kind of interoperability you require. Also, consider the scale at which you need keys deployed and managed and the availability you seek. Discuss your backup needs. Authentication and access control functionality is also important. And determine which geographic areas your business needs are, and be sure to speak with vendors about these requirements. #### Compare Encryption Key Management Software Products **Create a long list** The long list should include a list of providers that meet your basic interoperability, hosting, scale, regionality, and functionality requirements. Companies can identify products by using software review sites like G2.com to review what users of those solutions like and dislike, along with rankings on six satisfaction metrics. **Create a short list** Shorten your long list by identifying must-have functionality. Factors to consider at this stage include integrations, price, and whether the solution meets your regulatory requirements. **Conduct demos** When conducting demos of each potential solution, it is important to ask questions about the user interface, the ease of use, and the skills required to operate the encryption key management solution. The company’s staff should be able to learn the functionality of the tool quickly to receive the fastest return on investment. #### Selection of Encryption Key Management Software **Choose a selection team** The selection team should include employees using the encryption key management tool in their daily duties and understand the use case. These would typically be colleagues from information security (Infosec) and information technology (IT) teams. Other parties from leadership and finance should also be included. **Negotiation** Security products such as encryption key management tools help companies manage risk. Knowing the cost of a breach or exposed keys to an organization can help your company understand the value these tools bring to your company. Understand what your budget is with this in mind.   **Final decision** Colleagues who work on defining and managing the company’s data security policies and programs are in the best position to decide which software solution fits the organization’s needs. These professionals will have the most experience with cryptography tools and can best evaluate the products.