Entrust nShield as a Service
Encryption key management software
Data security software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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- Healthcare and life sciences
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- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
What is Entrust nShield as a Service
Entrust nShield as a Service is a cloud-delivered hardware security module (HSM) service used to generate, protect, and use cryptographic keys in tamper-resistant hardware. It targets security and platform teams that need centralized key custody for PKI, code signing, TLS/SSL, database encryption, and application-level encryption without operating on-premises HSM appliances. The service exposes standard HSM interfaces (for example, PKCS#11 and related APIs) and is typically consumed by applications, certificate authorities, and key management workflows that require FIPS-validated hardware-backed key protection. It is positioned for organizations that want HSM controls with managed operations and cloud connectivity options.
Hardware-backed key protection
The service keeps private keys inside HSM boundaries and performs cryptographic operations within the HSM, reducing exposure compared with software-only key stores. This aligns with compliance-driven use cases that require hardware-backed key custody and separation of duties. It is well-suited for protecting CA keys, code-signing keys, and high-value master keys used by other encryption systems.
Standards-based integration options
nShield services commonly support established cryptographic interfaces used by enterprise applications and security tooling (for example, PKCS#11 and related SDKs). This can reduce custom development compared with proprietary key APIs when integrating with PKI, signing services, or encryption middleware. Standards support also helps when migrating workloads across environments while keeping key handling consistent.
Managed HSM operations model
As a service, it offloads parts of HSM lifecycle management such as provisioning, maintenance, and capacity planning from customer teams. This can shorten time to deploy HSM-backed key protection compared with procuring and operating appliances. It is useful for organizations that want HSM controls but have limited staff to run specialized hardware in data centers.
HSM-centric scope
The product focuses on HSM-backed key generation and use, not full data security coverage such as discovery, classification, or broad policy-based encryption across many data stores. Organizations often still need separate tools for data-at-rest encryption orchestration, tokenization, or database/file-level policy enforcement. This can increase overall architecture complexity when the requirement extends beyond key custody.
Integration and expertise required
Even with managed delivery, integrating HSM-backed keys into applications, PKI, and CI/CD signing pipelines typically requires cryptography and key-management expertise. Some workloads may need application changes, connector configuration, or careful key ceremony processes. Teams should plan for testing, performance validation, and operational procedures (backup/restore, rotation, and access controls).
Cost and vendor dependency
HSM-as-a-service pricing is usually higher than software-only key management for lower-risk workloads, especially when high availability and throughput are required. Using a specific HSM service can also create dependency on the vendor’s operational model, supported regions, and service limits. Migrating keys and integrations away later can be non-trivial due to compliance controls and application coupling.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Not listed on Entrust site — contact sales for pricing | Signatures/sec (2K RSA): 400; Number of HSM Instances: 1; High‑Availability multi‑geo: No; Committed SLA: 99%; Number of Application Integrations: 3; Fully‑managed option: No |
| Standard | Not listed on Entrust site — contact sales for pricing | Signatures/sec (2K RSA): 800; Number of HSM Instances: 2; High‑Availability multi‑geo: Yes; Committed SLA: 99.9%; Number of Application Integrations: 10; Fully‑managed option: Yes |
| Premium | Not listed on Entrust site — contact sales for pricing | Signatures/sec (2K RSA): 6,000; Number of HSM Instances: 2; High‑Availability multi‑geo: Yes; Committed SLA: 99.9%; Number of Application Integrations: 100; Fully‑managed option: Yes |
| Enterprise | Not listed on Entrust site — contact sales for pricing | Signatures/sec (2K RSA): 16,000; Number of HSM Instances: 2; High‑Availability multi‑geo: Yes; Committed SLA: 99.9%; Number of Application Integrations: 1,000; Fully‑managed option: Yes |
Notes: Entrust's official nShield as a Service product page lists service tiers and detailed feature/service-level differences but does not publish any dollar pricing or subscription rates. The page indicates "monthly performance‑based pricing" and directs customers to contact Entrust / Contact Sales for pricing and to get started.
Seller details
Entrust Corporation
Shakopee, Minnesota, USA
1969
Private
https://www.entrust.com/
https://x.com/Entrust
https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrust/
