Encrypt AWS data at rest and in transit: This is non-negotiable

Encryption is not optional for regulated businesses. Healthcare, financial services, government. You encrypt or you fail audit. But most teams overcomplicate it or do it halfway.

Data at rest means data on disk (EBS, S3, RDS). Encrypt it with KMS keys. Data in transit means data moving over networks. Encrypt it with TLS. Both mandatory.

At rest encryption

EBS volumes: Enable encryption when you create them. Encrypts data, snapshots, everything. No performance impact. Enable it.

S3 buckets: Enable default encryption with SSE-S3 (fast, AWS-managed) or SSE-KMS (slower, customer-managed keys). Or both. Most teams use SSE-S3 for simplicity.

RDS: Enable encryption at database creation. Can't add later without downtime. Do it upfront.

DynamoDB: Tables are encrypted by default now. No action needed.

Redshift, ElastiCache, EMR: All support encryption. Enable it.

The pattern: look for "encryption" or "KMS" checkboxes. Check them.

In transit encryption

TLS everywhere. HTTPS for APIs. Encrypted database connections. VPN for on-premises links.

AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) provides free certificates. Use them. Renewal is automatic.

For RDS, force encryption with parameter groups. Disable non-encrypted connections.

For Elasticsearch and other services, TLS is a checkbox. Check it.

For inter-service communication in VPCs, use VPC endpoints. Avoid internet-exposed services.

Key management

Use AWS KMS for key management. Create customer-managed keys for critical data.

Key policies should restrict who can decrypt. Principle of least privilege.

Rotate keys annually. Disable old keys before deletion. AWS handles this automatically for AWS-managed keys.

Never manage keys yourself. That way lies disaster.

Compliance reality

ISO 27001 requires encryption for sensitive data. GDPR requires encryption for personal data. PCI DSS requires encryption for payment data. HIPAA requires encryption for health data.

Encryption alone doesn't make you compliant. But lack of encryption fails you immediately.

Document your encryption approach. Show auditors which data is encrypted, how, where keys are stored.

Where Critical Cloud comes in

Encryption configuration is straightforward. Encryption enforcement at scale is not. Are all new databases encrypted? Are old ones? Is TLS actually enabled on all services? Do you have visibility?

We're a Powered by Datadog accredited partner. We track encryption status across your infrastructure. You see which resources are encrypted and which aren't.

If you're uncertain about your encryption posture, see how Critical Support works.