What is our primary use case?
The main purpose of StorMagic SvKMS is to manage the encryption keys, including the storage and centralization of encryption keys. StorMagic SvKMS integrates your encryption keys with other solutions like Microsoft BitLocker. When you generate an encryption key to manage any of the solutions, which could be an application, virtualization, or disk encryption, you need to keep a centralized key system. Typically, customers end up keeping the encryption keys in an Excel form because it's very difficult to remember all the keys. It helps you centralize the entire system, including encryption from tape libraries or when the encryption is from the server, storage, endpoint, applications, etc.
In our company, we generate an encryption key. The moment you need to memorize it, you end up writing it in an Excel sheet, which is not a good thing because if you write the password and encryption keys in Excel or copy-paste that, it could be dangerous since your system can get hacked. Your entire organization can get exposed to external threats. Encryption key management, or SvKMS, helps you centralize the entire key system, and it keeps it under another layer of encryption. StorMagic SvKMS gives you a double level of encryption to open up the encryption for any product you use.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is a software-based solution, making it flexible while allowing it to be deployed on the cloud or on-premises. It can also be deployed on a DR site, requiring a virtual server to be deployed. It is open to integration with any kind of encryption key, which could be third-party encryption. StorMagic SvKMS offers FIPS 140-2 Level 1 Compliance.
What needs improvement?
Something can be better because StorMagic SvKMS has not reached FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Compliance, which can only come with the hardware-encrypted card. With a whole lot of other applications that generate encryption keys, which is an ongoing process, StorMagic SvKMS has a limitation in terms of the number of applications it can integrate with or it can store their encryption key for because it has to integrate with that tool, which is generating the encryption key or the application elsewhere. StorMagic SvKMS may feel limited to certain applications since it is not fully ready to give encryption to all the applications.
The feature I want in the solution is that it should provide more integration with the applications. I also want to see the solution have FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Compliance, which is the hardware card the customers look for at the end of the day.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using StorMagic SvKMS for two and a half to three years. My company has a partnership with StorMagic SvKMS in India.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a pretty stable product, especially once it offers you the encryption integration. If it doesn't offer you an integration, then StorMagic is open to working on the integration part, depending on the market size.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution, and there is no limit. With StorMagic SvKMS, one can go up to hundreds or thousands of users easily.
My company caters to the needs of medium and mid-sized organizations. My company cannot cater to the needs of large enterprises, like banking or financial organizations, looking for more encryption in the application since the solution doesn't offer FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Compliance.
How are customer service and support?
StorMagic SvKMS provides its users with platinum support, offering support twenty-four hours and seven days a week. StorMagic SvKMS offers very good technical support. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten. In India, the support comes from Singapore, and the difference in the time zones can sometimes become tricky, though you can do it by email or online, in which case you may need support twenty-four hours and seven days a week. Once a ticket is raised, the support team helps you.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The installation of StorMagic SvKMS was very easy.
The solution is deployed on the cloud and on-premises. It can be deployed on a hybrid cloud and get it optimized to meet one's choice.
The deployment of the product might just take one day. The problem is that you have to continuously integrate with the application, which is the other encryption key manager, making it an ongoing process depending on how many applications the organization uses for encryption. Let's say that there is a tape library encryption, making it one thing that has to be integrated, while the second point that comes into the picture is your storage box encryption. The deployment time depends on the organization's size and the number of encryptions you use already.
Just one person can easily do one implementation in a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is priced reasonably, making it neither cheap nor expensive. Payments have to be made on a yearly basis toward the solution's licensing costs. There are no additional costs apart from the solution's licensing costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The solution is priced reasonably, making it neither cheap nor expensive. Payments have to be made on a yearly basis toward the solution's licensing costs. There are no additional costs apart from the solution's licensing costs.
What other advice do I have?
The maintenance of the solution is very easy.
The number of people required for the maintenance of the solution depends on the number of customers you cater to, and if you have a large customer base, then you will need more people to complete the project. Once a project is completed, you don't require too many people. You may get one call for maintenance in a year when a customer plans to integrate other encryption and cannot do it themselves, prompting them to ask for your help. My company requires one or two engineers to manage around thirty to forty customers annually.
I think it's a pretty strong solution if you are a midsized enterprise and you're not looking at FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Compliance.
I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
