# FAQs

Frequently asked questions about CipherStash

Full answers at https://cipherstash.com/faq

## Product Fundamentals

Start here for a high-level understanding of what CipherStash does and how it fits into your stack.

- What is encryption-in-use, and why does it matter?
- How does CipherStash let us search over encrypted data?
- Do we have to rewrite our entire application to use CipherStash?
- Which languages and frameworks does CipherStash support?

## Architecture, Keys & Security Model

How our ZeroKMS architecture, key management, and BYOK model work in practice.

- What is ZeroKMS, and how is it different from a traditional KMS?
- How does BYOK work with CipherStash?
- Do keys ever leave our environment or get stored centrally by CipherStash?
- Do we need HSMs or a dedicated key vault to use CipherStash?
- How does CipherStash handle key rotation?
- Does CipherStash use Homomorphic Encryption (HE)?

## Integration & Deployment

How CipherStash fits alongside AWS KMS, Vault, and your existing application architecture.

- How does CipherStash integrate with AWS KMS or Vault?
- Do we still need AWS KMS or Vault if we adopt CipherStash?
- Will we need to re-architect our system to adopt CipherStash?
- How long does a typical integration take?
- Can we use CipherStash with legacy applications?

## Performance & Scalability

What to expect in terms of latency, throughput, and operational overhead.

- What is the performance impact of using CipherStash?
- Will encrypted search slow down our queries?
- Can CipherStash handle high-scale, cloud-native deployments?
- How much operational overhead does CipherStash add?

## Compliance, Governance & Risk

How CipherStash helps you meet security mandates, audits, and internal policies.

- How does CipherStash support our compliance initiatives?
- Will CipherStash help with SOC2, HIPAA, ISO27001, GDPR, or similar compliance frameworks?
- Does CipherStash help with internal audit and GRC demands?
- Can CipherStash help us prepare for upcoming audits or regulatory changes?

## Pricing, ROI & Business Justification

How to think about cost, value, and the business case for CipherStash.

- How is CipherStash priced?
- How do we justify CipherStash versus our existing KMS or Vault?
- Will CipherStash increase our operational costs?

## Positioning vs Existing Tools

Understanding how CipherStash fits next to KMS, Vault, and tokenization.

- How is CipherStash different from AWS KMS, Secrets Manager, or Vault?
- Does CipherStash replace tokenization systems and field-level encryption we built ourselves?
- Do we need CipherStash if our current KMS/Vault setup works “well enough”?

## Adoption, Rollout & Next Steps

What it looks like to start with CipherStash and expand over time.

- How do most teams get started with CipherStash?
- Which internal stakeholders typically need to be involved?
- Do our developers need deep cryptography expertise to use CipherStash?
- What are the next steps if we want to explore CipherStash?