Does Azure offer Data Encryption?

Question

Does Azure encrypt any data that is stored and/or are there any features within Azure that would allow for data encryption? 

I realize there are options outside of Azure itself to provide encryption but I need to know if Azure itself has that functionality.

Answer 1

This is a very general question. Are you talking about encryption of data in Azure Storage (tables/blobs/queues), SQL Azure, data in memory, what? 

Very generally speaking, the encryption capabilities are similar to what you could do with on-premise Windows installations. 

Answer 2

The data isn't able to be encrypted through a simple feature such as a checkbox or a menu item in the portal. At the moment, I believe you'd need to undertake a process such as this to encrypt data in SQL Azure: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh697511.aspx For the Azure storage (blob/table/queue), you'd need to encrypt the data before placing it storage through some option outside of Azure as you mentioned. I've heard rumors about Azure encryption features being available in the future - but there's nothing official out there to reference. There's also the consideration that if you encrypted it through an Azure feature (should one become available) - Microsoft would likely have your decryption key. That's a deal breaker for some compliance restrictions that I've personally seen.

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-Ira Bell