Types of External KMS Deployments
There are a variety of types of external key management systems. An external key management system deployment may be one of the following types:
A virtual KMS instance running in a VM (virtual machine) environment, or in a private or public cloud
A physical appliance running a KMS server
A dedicated FIPS 140-2 Level 3 appliance
A dedicated hardened FIPS 140-2 Level 4 appliance
These systems are listed by increasing levels of security.