Comparison
What RED does that the alternatives were not built to do.
These tools are good at what they were designed for. The difference is the question each one answers.
The question each answers
Different tools, different questions.
| Approach | The question it answers | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud storage with provider-side encryption | Is the data encrypted at rest inside this provider? | Access to the provider account tends to mean access to readable data. |
| Cloud provider key management | Can keys be managed properly inside one provider? | The control model is bound to that provider's boundary. |
| File encryption tools | Can this file be encrypted? | No shared authority model, no revocation, no organizational record. |
| RED | Who can make this data readable, across changing infrastructure — and what was recorded when they did? | RED does not remove the trust placed in an authorized endpoint or in client delivery. |
Inclusion of a category is descriptive. It does not imply a partnership, endorsement or benchmark against any named product.
Why not provider key management
It manages keys well, inside one boundary.
Provider key management is a strong control for workloads that live in that provider and expect to stay there. The thesis behind RED is different: control that stays constant while infrastructure changes, because the authority to read is not held by the infrastructure at all.
Why not file encryption tools
Encryption is not an authority model.
Encrypting a file answers a narrow question. An organization needs to know who may make data readable, for how long, with what approval, and what evidence exists afterwards. That is the layer RED provides, with encryption underneath it rather than in place of it.
When RED is the wrong choice
Cases where you should not buy this.
- You need a machine-secrets manager that injects credentials into application runtimes.
- You need protected structured data in a database today — database connections are planned, not available.
- You need a completed third-party certification or audit report as a procurement gate today.
- You cannot operate your own storage account and want the vendor to hold the data.
See it against your own environment.
Connect your own storage, protect a document, and read the recorded evidence yourself.