Azure Key Vault overview

For more information and insight, read the article in AzureGuru.org

Azure Key Vault helps solve the following problems:

• Secrets Management: Azure Key Vault can be used to Securely store and tightly control access to tokens, passwords, certificates, API keys, and other secrets.
• Key Management: Azure Key Vault can also be used as a Key Management solution. Azure Key Vault makes it easy to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt your data.
• Certificate Management: Azure Key Vault is also a service that lets you easily provision, manage, and deploy public and private Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) certificates for use with Azure and your internal connected resources.
• Store secrets backed by Hardware Security Modules: The secrets and keys can be protected either by software or FIPS 140–2 Level 2 validates HSMs

Azure Key Vault has two service tiers: Standard, which encrypts with a software key, and a Premium tier, which includes HSM-protected keys.

Why use Azure Key Vault?

• Centralize application secrets
• Securely store secrets and keys
• Monitor access and use
• Simplified administration of application secrets
• Integrate with other Azure services

References:

• Key Vault
• What is Azure Key Vault?