“The Virtru Private Keystore is super seamless. Everything is running smoothly. From a customer standpoint, it really makes a difference: They now feel that they're much more in control and that Google will not be able to access their data.”
Benjamin Chino
Co-Founder and CPO
Maki is a modern assessment platform that connects candidates with their ideal jobs using cognitive aptitude tests, job-specific skill evaluations, and even language and personality assessments. A bridge between candidate and employer, Maki handles sensitive, personally identifiable information (PII) on behalf of candidates, as well as strategic hiring information on behalf of its corporate clients. As a highly sophisticated HR tech platform, Maki must also safeguard the intellectual property behind its sophisticated candidate assessments.
For Benjamin Chino, CPO and Co-Founder of Maki, ensuring the highest level of security for this sensitive information is essential. That’s why he selected Virtru Private Keystore for an additional layer of data control and security in Google Cloud.
With Virtru, Maki is able to:
“Because we are an HR tech company, we deal with a lot of candidates’ data and personal information,” said Chino. “We want to assure customers that we take this seriously, that we are compliant, and that we even go the extra mile to guarantee the safety and protection of their data. And that's why we're happy to work with Virtru.”
Maki chose Virtru as its key management partner for Google Cloud EKM (External Key Manager), because it gives the company an independent layer of security and sovereignty for data stored in Google Cloud. Maki can be sure that its data cannot be accessed by Google or any other third party without their permission. The Virtru Private Keystore works seamlessly, behind the scenes, so Maki can focus on growing its business.
“The Virtru Private Keystore is super seamless,” said Chino. “Everything is running smoothly. From a customer standpoint, it really makes a difference: They now feel that they're much more in control and that Google will not be able to access their data.”
Maki started looking for an encryption key manager when one of its largest clients requested EKM for independent Google Cloud data security. The nature of external key management (EKM) means that Google can’t offer the service themselves, companies must select one of Google’s recommended key management partners.
Doing its due diligence, Maki reached out to three vendors: Virtru, Thales, and Fortanix. The Virtru Private Keystore proved to be the solution that was most reliable, easy to deploy, and affordable.
Chino experienced a lot of friction with the other key management vendors. After reaching out to one, he got no response. With the other vendor, “Implementation was pretty complicated… We got a trial version, and we had bugs in that version.”
“With Virtru, it was straightforward,” said Chino. “We contacted you, you answered. We hopped on a call, and then implementation was easy as 1, 2, 3. So that was great.” Within two weeks of contacting Virtru and implementing the Private Keystore with Virtru’s deployment team, Maki was up and running.
In a world where individuals’ privacy doesn’t often get the respect it deserves, Maki is making an impact by prioritizing data-centric security, both in their current operations and in their plans for the future.
Chino is already thinking about what the next level of privacy could look like for his customers: “We're starting to see these conversations happening, where we’re asking: ‘Could we actually manage customers’ keys, or could customers manage their own keys within our services?’“
Privacy-preserving technology is important to Chino, because it’s important to his customers. And it’s not just his corporate clients who care about safeguarding sensitive information: Data security is now in the headlines more than ever before. Job candidates are increasingly mindful of how their data is managed — whether it’s a resumé, skills test results, or any other private information — and making decisions accordingly about what apps and providers they want to use. Ultimately, protecting data fosters trust, and companies like Maki are leading the way.
