Client Overview
- Client Name: Well-known Steel Industry Consultant
- Industry: Manufacturing and consulting
- Location: USA
- Size: Enterprise-level organization
- Azure Subscription: Enterprise Agreement
Background
In the era of big data, one of our clients faced a critical challenge in securing and efficiently handling their vast Parquet file datasets. These files contained sensitive user information, and the client needed a robust and performant solution for encryption and decryption.
The client’s requirements included:
- Encryption Variability: The need for both full file encryption/decryption and column-level encryption/decryption of Parquet files.
- Performance and Scalability: The solution had to handle massive Parquet files efficiently from various systems, including Azure Synapse Pipelines, Web Apps/APIs, and Console Apps.
- Column-Level Encryption: Column-level encryption was especially challenging due to the resource-intensive nature of processing large Parquet files.
- Availability and Support: The client needed a reliable and supported solution that could handle encryption for large Parquet files effectively
Our Solution
After extensive research and testing, we developed a comprehensive solution to meet our client’s encryption and decryption requirements:
1. Microsoft Data Encryption Cryptography Package:
- We discovered the Microsoft Data Encryption Cryptography NuGet package, which offered the functionality needed for cryptographic operations on Parquet files, including column-level encryption.
2. Azure Batch for Scalability:
- To address scalability issues, we chose to utilize Azure Batch, a service designed for running large-scale parallel and high-performance computing (HPC) batch jobs efficiently in Azure.
- Azure Batch allowed us to create and manage pools of compute nodes, install required applications, and schedule jobs to handle large Parquet files effectively.
Key Features:
1. Full File Encryption/Decryption:
- This functionality enabled the client to perform full Parquet file encryption/decryption efficiently. It leveraged cryptographic operations on the entire file, ensuring fast and secure processing.
2. Column-Level Encryption/Decryption:
- We implemented a solution to encrypt or decrypt specific columns within Parquet files. This approach improved performance as it processed data column-wise rather than row-wise.
3. Azure Batch Integration:
- We seamlessly integrated the solution with Azure Batch, which handled the distribution of tasks across compute nodes for parallel processing
Results and Benefits
- Enhanced Security: The client’s sensitive data within Parquet files was safeguarded through both full file and column-level encryption.
- Improved Performance: Column-level encryption was resource-efficient and significantly faster compared to traditional row-wise methods.
- Scalability: Azure Batch provided the ability to handle large-scale data operations efficiently, allowing the client to scale as needed.
- Availability and Support: The client benefited from a reliable and supported solution for their encryption and decryption needs.
Usage in Azure Synapse:
- The solution seamlessly integrated with Azure Synapse Pipelines, allowing for encryption and decryption operations as data moved between on-premises systems and Azure Data Lake.
Conclusion: Our encryption and decryption solution empowered our client to secure their large Parquet datasets efficiently and reliably. By leveraging Microsoft’s cryptographic package and Azure Batch, we ensured data security, improved performance, and scalability for the client’s critical data operations
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