Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a provider of data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, announced that Microsoft Azure has expanded the use cases for its cloud-based security offerings to customers in Europe. These services are powered by Marvell® LiquidSecurity® hardware security modules (HSMs), building on existing cloud-based security offerings in Asia and North America. The expansion follows two new European certifications awarded to Marvell for LiquidSecurity earlier this year.
With LiquidSecurity, Microsoft Azure can now deliver cloud-based services for certifying cross-border contracts, verifying identification documents, and handling other transactions. This capability aims to reduce time, cost, and operational overhead across various use cases. Soumya Subramanian, vice president of Cloud Security Engineering at Microsoft Azure, stated, “We congratulate Marvell on achieving eIDAS and CC EAL4+ certification of its LiquidSecurity HSMs, which power our Azure Key Vault, Azure Key Vault Managed HSM and Cloud HSM services. Through our collaboration with Marvell, we are able to offer Azure’s customers working in the electronic identity and passport space the most secure and compliant key management services available in public, sovereign or government clouds today.”
Marvell obtained certifications for LiquidSecurity under eIDAS (electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services) and Common Criteria EAL4+, two security frameworks designed to enhance online trust and security. Established by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, eIDAS outlines requirements for replacing traditional contract mechanisms with digital authentication systems among or with participating EU countries. Common Criteria EAL4+ unifies three major international security evaluation standards. Michela Menting, senior research director at ABI Research, commented, “Marvell has been the pioneer in cloud-based HSMs and remains the industry leader. Common Criteria EAL4+ and eIDAS certifications represent the latest steps by Marvell in forging a more diverse and larger market for HSM services.”
Will Chu, executive vice president and general manager of Custom Cloud Solutions at Marvell, noted, “It’s been a tremendous experience to work with Microsoft, which shares our vision of improving security through custom silicon and cloud technologies. We look forward to further exploring how cloud-based security can transform our daily activities.”
HSMs are essential for global commerce, performing authentication and encryption processes crucial for secure key protection and management. They secure data at rest and in motion, public key infrastructure (PKI), sign-in services, and other high-volume transactions. Historically, HSMs have been deployed as 1U and 2U server appliances with standard microprocessors, managed directly by users on their premises.
In contrast, Marvell LiquidSecurity HSMs are PCIe-based devices powered by Marvell OCTEON® DPUs, designed for dense, multi-tenant cloud environments. A single LiquidSecurity 2 HSM adapter can manage up to 1 million encryption keys and process over 1 million operations per second. This design allows cloud service providers to deliver HSM services while using significantly less power, rack space, and hardware compared to traditional HSMs. Additionally, HSM users can transition from managing complex hardware to subscribing to HSM services. The cloud-based model for HSMs also aims to reduce barriers to employing HSM and encryption services for secure medical records and other transactions. Marvell LiquidSecurity HSMs can also be customized to meet specific performance, power, space, and software requirements of individual customers.
