VMware vSAN has become the cornerstone of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), delivering resilient, high-performance storage natively within the VMware vSphere stack. As organizations scale workloads and handle sensitive information, data security becomes paramount.
Two essential features in vSAN’s security portfolio are Data-at-Rest Encryption (DARE) and Data-in-Transit Encryption (DITE). Together, they safeguard enterprise data from unauthorized access—whether stored on physical media or moving across the network.
1. Understanding vSAN Data-at-Rest Encryption
Data-at-Rest Encryption protects data stored on physical storage devices (disks/SSDs) within a vSAN cluster. Even if a disk is removed or stolen, the data remains unreadable without the encryption keys.
Key Highlights:
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Cluster-Level Encryption: Managed at the cluster level, enabled with a single setting.
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Key Management: Requires an external Key Management Server (KMS) compliant with the Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP).
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No Performance Penalty: Offloaded to storage controllers with negligible impact.
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Flexible Key Rotation: Administrators can rotate encryption keys without data reformatting.
Use Case: Compliance with regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, where data protection at storage level is mandatory.
2. Understanding vSAN Data-in-Transit Encryption
Data-in-Transit Encryption secures data as it travels between nodes in a vSAN cluster. This ensures that malicious actors cannot intercept or tamper with packets on the network fabric.
Key Highlights:
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End-to-End Protection: Encrypts all data traffic between cluster nodes.
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AES-256 Encryption: Uses high-grade cryptographic standards.
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Independent of Hardware: Works across any supported vSAN networking setup.
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Simplified Management: No need for third-party VPNs or IPsec tunnels.
Use Case: Protects against man-in-the-middle attacks or packet sniffing in multi-tenant or untrusted network environments.
3. How Both Work Together
When both services are enabled, data is encrypted twice—once when stored on disk (DARE) and again when moving across the cluster network (DITE). This dual-layered security model ensures comprehensive protection:
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At Rest: Prevents unauthorized access if drives are stolen or decommissioned.
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In Transit: Prevents interception when data is replicated, resynchronized, or migrated across hosts.
4. Architecture Diagram
Here’s a simplified conceptual diagram showing how vSAN implements DARE & DITE:
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DARE: Each host encrypts local storage drives using keys from the KMS.
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DITE: All vSAN traffic between hosts is encrypted over the network.
5. Benefits of vSAN Encryption
✅ End-to-End Security – Covers both storage and network layers.
✅ Regulatory Compliance – Simplifies adherence to data protection standards.
✅ Operational Simplicity – Native to vSAN, minimal configuration overhead.
✅ Flexibility – Works with all-flash and hybrid vSAN deployments.
Conclusion
VMware vSAN’s Data-at-Rest Encryption and Data-in-Transit Encryption provide enterprises with robust protection against data theft, unauthorized access, and network interception. By enabling both services, organizations can achieve a zero-trust storage fabric, ensuring that sensitive workloads remain secure at every stage of their lifecycle.