Bring Your Own Keys (BYOK) to HeatWave on OCI: Take Control of Your Data Security

As data security continues to be a top priority for organizations, Oracle has taken another major step forward in giving customers more control and flexibility over how their data is protected in the cloud.

With the latest enhancement, HeatWave DB systems on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) now support customer-managed encryption keys - commonly known as Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), starting July 2,2025.

What’s New?

Traditionally, HeatWave used Oracle-managed keys to encrypt Data Encryption Keys (DEKs) that secure your block and object storage—the foundational layers where HeatWave stores data and backups.

Now, you have the option to:

  • Create or import your own encryption keys

  • Store them securely in OCI Key Management Service (KMS)

  • Configure HeatWave to use your keys instead of Oracle’s

This gives you greater control over encryption lifecycle, access policies, and compliance posture.

How Encryption Works in HeatWave

Here’s a simplified breakdown of the encryption process:

  1. Data in HeatWave is stored in OCI Block and Object Storage.

  2. Each data block is encrypted with a unique Data Encryption Key (DEK).

  3. Each DEK is then encrypted with a Master Encryption Key (MEK)—previously managed only by Oracle.

  4. Now, you can provide your own MEK using OCI KMS for encrypting DEKs.

This layered security model, combined with BYOK, gives customers strong control and visibility into how their sensitive data is protected.

Why Use Your Own Keys?

Using your own keys offers several benefits:

  • ✅ Enhanced compliance with regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, FedRAMP)

  • ✅ Granular key lifecycle control—you can rotate, disable, or revoke keys anytime

  • ✅ Audit readiness with complete traceability of encryption key usage

  • ✅ Alignment with zero-trust architecture and internal governance policies


How to Get Started with BYOK for HeatWave

To begin using your own keys, follow these general steps:

  1. Create or import a key into OCI Key Management Service (KMS).
    📘 OCI KMS Overview

  2. Grant HeatWave necessary permissions to access the key:

    • Assign IAM policies to allow HeatWave to use the key.

    • Define access scopes and roles securely.

  3. Update or configure encryption key settings in your HeatWave DB system:

  4. Verify configuration and access control to ensure your key is active and HeatWave can access it for encryption operations.
    📘 HeatWave Advanced Options - Encryption


Final Thoughts

This new BYOK feature for HeatWave empowers organizations to extend their enterprise-grade security policies to the cloud, while maintaining high performance and scalability.

Whether you’re in finance, healthcare, public sector, or any data-sensitive industry, BYOK can help you meet internal and external security mandates with confidence.

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