Managing SQL Server Encryption Keys Across AWS Regions for Disaster Recovery
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This article explains how to manage SQL Server encryption keys across AWS Regions for disaster recovery on Amazon EC2.
- SQL Server uses a layered encryption hierarchy: SMK → DMK → certificates → encryption keys
- Back up Service Master Key and Database Master Key for same-instance recovery scenarios
- Export TDE certificates and private keys; restore on DR instance before database recovery
- Re-encrypt user database DMKs with DR instance's SMK for column-level encryption access
- Store certificates and keys in S3 with cross-region replication and server-side KMS encryption
- Store passwords and metadata in AWS Secrets Manager with multi-region replication enabled
- SSL/TLS certificates live in Windows Certificate Store; export as PFX files to S3
- Validate encryption chain post-failover using SQL queries to confirm functionality
Proper encryption key management across regions ensures encrypted SQL Server databases recover successfully during disaster recovery events.
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