Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform vs OpenKCM (Open Key Chain Manager)
Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform
fornetix.com
OpenKCM (Open Key Chain Manager)
openkcm.ioSide by side
| Figure | Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform | OpenKCM (Open Key Chain Manager) |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Key Management Software | 8.0 (#3) | 7.1 (#11) |
| Deployment | VaultCore is offered as hardware, virtual, and cloud appliance deployments. | The documentation describes deploying the Gateway near applications in a Kubernetes cluster or cloud VPC, and says the same Gateway software can run across AWS, Azure, and on-premise environments. |
| Integrations | VaultCore connects to KMIP-compatible systems and uses Orchestration Gateway plugins to translate non-KMIP systems, including AWS, Azure, and F5. | The trust model names AWS, Azure, and GCP external KMS services and on-premise Thales or Entrust HSMs as locations for customer root keys. |
| Intended users | Fornetix presents VaultCore for small businesses through global enterprises and highlights government, healthcare, financial, telecom, utility, automotive, and IoT use cases. | The maker identifies cloud-native organizations, enterprises with regional key lifecycle needs, SaaS platforms, and developers of encrypted storage as intended users. |
| Purpose | VaultCore automates enterprise encryption key management and the key lifecycle across an organization. | OpenKCM is an open-source key management service for managing cryptographic keys across services and regions. |
Plans
Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform
- VaultCorePriced on request
In their own words
Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform
Fornetix Key Orchestration Platform centers on VaultCore, which automates enterprise encryption key management and lifecycle work across an organization. It supports policy-driven key rotation and enforcement, with access controls that combine attribute-based and role-based rules. Fornetix says VaultCore supports over one hundred million keys. It connects to KMIP-compatible systems, while Orchestration Gateway plugins translate non-KMIP integrations including AWS, Azure, and F5. VaultCore is available as a hardware, virtual, or cloud appliance. The gateway runs on Windows Server or Linux and provides REST API integrations. VaultCore provides Common Event Format logging and can respond to SIEM alerts, including Splunk alerts, with rapid rekeying. Fornetix describes support for compliance work involving GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and NIST 800, and integrations with HSMs such as nCipher; it cites FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification for that combination. Pricing is by quote, and a full-featured 30-day trial is available. The company is headquartered in Frederick, Maryland.
OpenKCM (Open Key Chain Manager)
OpenKCM (Open Key Chain Manager) is a free, open-source key management service for governing encryption keys and protecting data at rest. It supports BYOK key import and HYOK, which keeps master keys in a customer’s infrastructure. Its recursive L1–L4 hierarchy makes data keys dependent on higher-level keys. Governance and policy control are handled by CMK, while Krypton performs cryptographic execution; applications request key operations through the KMIP API.
The Gateway is designed to run near applications, such as in Kubernetes or a cloud VPC, and the same software can operate across AWS, Azure and on-premise environments. Customer root keys can remain in AWS, Azure or GCP key services, or on-premise HSMs, while OpenKCM holds a reference to the L1 key. A kill switch can halt downstream key use by removing that reference or revoking the root key. CMK connects to a corporate identity provider and sends audit logs to SIEM systems. The project’s CMK and Krypton components are actively being developed; encryption and decryption operations are in progress, while audit export, high availability and disaster recovery are planned for 2027.