AWS Key Management Service vs Fornetix VaultCore

AWS Key Management Service creates and controls cryptographic keys for data encryption and digital signatures. It centralizes key lifecycles and permissions, including separate control over administrators and key users. KMS supports symmetric encryption, asymmetric signing or encryption pairs, and HMAC generation and verification. The AWS Encryption SDK can use KMS as a key provider for local application encryption and decryption. Integrations include Amazon S3, EBS, RDS, DynamoDB, Lambda, and CloudTrail. With CloudTrail enabled, requests can record the user, time, API action, and key. AWS says hardware security modules validated to FIPS 140-3 Security Level 3 protect key material and operations, with plaintext keys kept only in volatile HSM memory. Multi-Region keys support cross-Region workflows; external key stores keep material in a customer-managed external manager. KMS scales with demand but has default key and request limits. The listed plan is $1 a month per KMS key, prorated hourly.

Fornetix VaultCore is an encryption key management ecosystem that automates key lifecycle work across an enterprise. It combines attribute-based and role-based access controls with a policy engine that arranges the enterprise in a hierarchy intended to support security-standard compliance. VaultCore supports more than one hundred million encryption keys. It connects directly to systems using KMIP, and its Orchestration Gateway converts KMIP commands into APIs for systems that do not. Gateway plugins include AWS, Microsoft Azure, and F5, with support for custom proprietary systems. Deployment choices include hardware, virtual, and cloud appliances, plus the Orchestration Gateway. Listed interfaces range from a graphical user interface, command line, and REST services to KMIP API, client and agent, and HSM PKCS#11. Cloud capabilities include Bring Your Own Key, Cloud Access Security Brokers, multi-cloud, and VMware and AWS cloud containers. VaultCore can respond to Splunk SIEM alerts with rapid rekeying and create audit logs in Common Event Format. Pricing is on request, and a 30-day free trial is advertised. The listed software version is 2.6.2, with technical support ending June 30, 2026.