What are secure storage solutions?
Secure storage solutions are systems, services, or platforms that protect data from unauthorized access, loss, or corruption. They use encryption, user authentication, access controls, and monitoring to ensure that sensitive information remains confidential and available. The primary goal of secure storage is to protect data, whether personal, financial, operational, or intellectual property, while allowing legitimate access when needed.
The increasing volume and sensitivity of digital data make security a top priority for organizations and individuals. As cyber threats grow in sophistication, secure storage solutions must adapt with new protection methods. Solutions tackle not only external threats, but also internal risks, such as accidental deletion or misuse by authorized users. They deliver a combination of hardware, software, protocols, and processes to meet varying security needs across industries and use cases.
Types of secure storage solutions
On-premises storage systems
On-premises secure storage provides full control over data, infrastructure, and security measures. It is often used by organizations with strict compliance requirements or concerns about data sovereignty. The infrastructure is physically located within an organization’s premises, allowing direct management of all hardware and software components.
Secure storage capabilities include:
- Full control over physical and network security
- Customizable encryption policies and key management
- Role-based access control integrated with internal identity systems
- Secure backup and disaster recovery procedures
- Data loss prevention (DLP) and audit logging
- Hardware redundancy and failover to ensure data availability
- Segmentation and isolation of sensitive workloads
Cloud-based secure storage
Cloud-based secure storage uses external providers to store and protect data in off-site data centers. These solutions are designed for accessibility, scalability, and efficiency, while offering strong baseline security through provider-managed tools and services.
Secure storage capabilities include:
- End-to-end encryption for data at rest and in transit
- Multi-factor authentication and identity federation
- Real-time security monitoring and threat detection
- Compliance certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA)
- Geographic redundancy and automated backups
- Data integrity checks and corruption prevention
- Shared responsibility model with customer-specific controls
Hybrid storage models
Hybrid secure storage blends local infrastructure with cloud platforms to optimize data security, cost, and flexibility. It is suited for organizations that need to meet varying compliance requirements while maintaining performance and control for specific workloads.
Secure storage capabilities include:
- Policy-based data placement (on-prem or cloud) based on sensitivity
- Unified identity and access management across environments
- Secure data replication and synchronization
- Consistent encryption and key management across storage tiers
- Integrated monitoring and audit trails for all access points
- Granular access controls that adapt to location and device type
- Automated data life cycle and compliance rule enforcement
Notable secure data storage solutions
1. NetApp
NetApp Secure Data Storage Solutions
Deployment model: On-premises, cloud, or hybrid
NetApp provides secure data storage solutions designed to meet the needs of modern enterprises, offering deployment flexibility across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. These solutions deliver high performance, scalability, and robust data protection, enabling organizations to manage and secure their data while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.
General features include:
- Unified storage architecture: NetApp's solutions support block, file, and object storage within a single platform, simplifying data management and reducing infrastructure complexity.
- Cloud integration: Seamless integration with major cloud providers, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, enables hybrid and multi-cloud deployments for greater flexibility and scalability.
- Data tiering: Automatically moves data between performance and capacity tiers based on usage patterns, optimizing storage costs while maintaining accessibility.
- Snapshot technology: Provides near-instantaneous, space-efficient snapshots for data backup and recovery, minimizing downtime and data loss.
- AI-driven insights: NetApp Active IQ delivers predictive analytics and actionable insights to optimize performance, capacity, and security across storage environments.
Security features include:
- End-to-end encryption: Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, using industry-standard protocols and algorithms to protect against unauthorized access.
- Ransomware protection: Built-in ransomware detection and recovery capabilities, including immutable snapshots and rapid restoration, safeguard data from cyber threats.
- Access control and auditing: Role-based access controls (RBAC) and detailed audit logs ensure only authorized users can access sensitive data, supporting compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Data compliance and governance: NetApp solutions meet stringent compliance standards, including GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA, ensuring secure handling of regulated data.
- Secure multi-tenancy: Isolates data and workloads in shared environments, providing robust security for multi-tenant deployments.
Secure data storage solutions from NetApp empower organizations to protect their data, streamline operations, and adapt to evolving business needs, all while maintaining the highest levels of security and compliance.
2. Quantum Object Storage
Deployment model: On-premise or hosted
Quantum object storage services provide a fully managed, private cloud storage platform for active and cold data, with deployment flexibility across on-premises, hosted, or colocated environments. This solution delivers scalability, durability, and cost efficiency while allowing organizations to maintain control over their data and infrastructure.
General features include:
- Private storage cloud deployment: Fully managed, S3- and S3 Glacier–compatible storage delivered on-premises, hosted, or colocated, operated within company facilities.
- Active and cold tiers: Two service classes for active and cold archives with millisecond or minute retrieval and predictable, inclusive pricing without access fees.
- Scalable capacity: Supports petabyte-to-exabyte scale with pay-as-you-grow economics, avoiding forklift upgrades and unplanned capital expenditures over long retention periods.
- Installation and integration: Quantum installs, configures, and integrates required products in the data center, enabling application connectivity and S3-compatible access patterns.
- Operational management services: Includes proactive remote monitoring, onsite support, capacity and performance assessments, and ongoing tech refresh with managed data migration.
Security features include:
- Data sovereignty and control: Storage runs within the security perimeter, maintaining control of data, workloads, and applications while Quantum manages underlying infrastructure.
- High durability and availability: Service targets fifteen-nines durability, with rock-solid infrastructure, proactive monitoring, repair services, and assessments to sustain continuous operations.
- Telemetry-driven oversight: Cloud-based analytics agents upload telemetry and logs for continuous monitoring and analysis, supporting early detection and coordinated response.
- 24x7 support coverage: Mission-critical premium support provides around-the-clock assistance, priority onsite response, and expedited replacement parts to remediate hardware or service incidents.
- Seamless tech refresh: Included technology refresh and managed data migration occur with limited or no service disruption as installed equipment approaches end of service life.
3. Wasabi Storage
Deployment model: Cloud
Wasabi is a low-cost cloud storage provider that offers secure, high-performance cloud object storage with a defense-in-depth approach to data protection. It combines strong encryption, rigorous access controls, and resilient infrastructure to defend against unauthorized access, data loss, and emerging cyber threats.
General features include:
- Account administration options: Supports MFA, multi-user authentication, fine-grained IAM policies, and enterprise single sign-on to structure account access and administrative responsibilities.
- Geographically distributed replication: Offers intracontinental replication with automatic failover, storing copies across regions to maintain continuity during regional outages or disruptions.
- Object immutability controls: Provides Object Lock with write-once, read-many semantics, preventing edits or deletions for retention windows defined by administrators or policies.
- Compliance and transparency resources: Centralized Trust Center aggregates legal, compliance, and security information, including third-party attestations and data protection documentation.
- Payment processing security: Uses Stripe for payment handling, with all transactions certified under PCI-DSS requirements for processing and storage of card data.
Security features include:
- Encryption in transit and at rest: Encrypts data over HTTPS and applies server-side encryption with customer-provided keys (SSE-C) automatically upon ingestion to the platform.
- Multi-user authentication for deletions: Requires multiple root users to approve bucket and account deletion requests, reducing successful destructive actions following credential compromise.
- Identity assurance controls: Combines MFA and single sign-on to limit account takeovers, complementing unique IAM policies for least-privilege access to resources.
- Physical and facility security: Operates in ISO 27001–compliant, SOC 2–audited data centers with PCI-DSS certifications applied to facilities supporting service delivery.
- Tamper resistance and reporting: Implements Object Lock for WORM retention and maintains vulnerability reporting channels for disclosing suspected security issues.
4. Tresorit
Deployment model: Cloud
Tresorit is a cloud storage platform for secure collaboration and regulatory compliance, using end-to-end encryption as its foundation. Unlike traditional cloud services, Tresorit ensures that files and metadata are encrypted on the user’s device before upload, making data inaccessible to anyone without the user’s decryption keys, including Tresorit itself.
General features include:
- Collaboration tools: Supports shared data rooms, secure links, and external collaboration while keeping content encrypted; file downloads can be limited and access revoked.
- Admin policy templates: Apply policy templates across users, including two-step verification, IP filtering, session timeouts, allowed devices, and sharing restrictions configurable by administrators.
- Device and session oversight: Monitor allowed devices and login locations for company accounts, with the ability to reset passwords and revoke lost or stolen devices.
- Single sign-on integration: Integrates with Azure AD and Okta to enable centralized authentication and simplified administration for business accounts and users.
- Productivity and integration options: Provides Outlook plugin for encrypted links and Active Directory sync to manage users and tresor memberships within existing workflows.
Security features include:
- End-to-end encryption: Encrypts files and relevant metadata on devices using randomly generated keys that never leave clients unencrypted, restricting decryption to authorized users.
- Zero-knowledge authentication: Implements an authentication design where passwords never leave user devices, preventing server-side exposure of credential material during login.
- Cryptographic key sharing: Uses public key cryptography, including RSA-4096 with OAEP and PKI certificates plus a symmetric key tree, to protect and distribute shared keys.
- Client-side integrity protection: Applies HMAC or AEAD authentication to encrypted data so unauthorized modifications are detectable by clients, even if servers are compromised.
- Privacy and compliance posture: Operates under Swiss privacy laws and supports ISO 27001:2022, GDPR with DPA, HIPAA BAA, and CCPA readiness for regulated environments.
5. Egnyte
Deployment model: Cloud or on-premises
Egnyte is a secure file-sharing and collaboration platform that allows organizations to manage, access, and protect business content across devices, locations, and users. Built for hybrid work environments, Egnyte enables employees, partners, and customers to collaborate securely on sensitive documents without sacrificing control or compliance.
General features include:
- Cross-device file sharing: Employees and partners share files via configurable secure links from smartphones, tablets, or laptops, enabling controlled access, viewing, and downloading across devices.
- Mobile apps and co-editing: iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile apps provide secure access, co-editing, and sharing of cloud or on-premises files while traveling between locations.
- Hybrid repository access: Users access shared company files stored in the cloud and on premises through Egnyte, regardless of physical storage location or connectivity constraints.
- Vendor upload links: Upload Links collect vendor RFP submissions into organized, segregated folders, ensuring individual vendors cannot view other vendors’ uploaded documents during the intake process.
- External collaboration controls: Configure shared links so only specified partners can access, view, or download campaign documents, enabling collaboration without exposing materials to unintended recipients.
Security features include:
- Encrypted file downloads with revocation: Egnyte FileGuard lets recipients download encrypted copies, while owners can later revoke access to previously shared documents on partner computers.
- Content discovery and classification: An intelligent content engine scans repositories and automatically locates sensitive information across stores, supporting consistent handling under predefined policies and rules.
- Access restriction policies: Administrators implement simple rules to limit sensitive data access to necessary employees, while blocking unauthorized external sharing through centrally enforced policy controls.
- Visibility over shared content: Centralized controls maintain visibility into how files are accessed and shared, helping IT administer secure, flexible environments across devices and repositories.
- Compliance-oriented policies: Built-in classification policies align controls with privacy regulations, enabling consistent enforcement when handling confidential documents shared internally or with external partners and vendors.
