Confidential Computing for Sensitive Azure Workloads
Event Title:
Confidential Computing for Sensitive Azure Workloads
Date:
May 14, 2026
Speaker:
Waseem Awwad – Microsoft MVP, Security and Azure
Event Format:
Online technical community workshop
Event Overview:
Organizations are increasingly moving sensitive workloads to cloud and hybrid environments, but many teams still focus mainly on encryption at rest and encryption in transit. These controls are important, but they do not fully address a critical question: how is sensitive data protected while it is being processed?
This online technical community workshop focuses on Azure Confidential Computing and its role in protecting sensitive workloads during processing. The session will explain how confidential computing can help reduce exposure for workloads that handle regulated data, confidential business information, high-value processing, or sensitive workloads that require stronger isolation and trust boundaries.
The workshop will take a practical architecture view. Instead of treating confidential computing as a single feature, the session will discuss where it fits within a broader Azure security model that includes identity, key protection, workload isolation, governance, monitoring, compliance, and operational readiness.
Participants will learn how to think about confidential computing scenarios, when it may be useful, where it may not be required, and what design questions should be reviewed before adopting it. The discussion will also cover common planning considerations such as trusted execution environments, confidential virtual machines, attestation concepts, secure deployment patterns, access control, key management, monitoring, and governance alignment.
This workshop is designed for professionals who need to evaluate or design secure Azure workloads where data sensitivity, regulatory expectations, or workload confidentiality require a deeper security architecture review.
What This Workshop Will Cover:
Azure Confidential Computing concepts and use cases
Protection of data while it is being processed
Trusted execution environments and workload isolation
Confidential virtual machines and sensitive workload scenarios
Key protection and access control considerations
Attestation concepts and trust validation
Secure architecture planning for regulated or confidential workloads
Operational monitoring and governance requirements
How confidential computing fits into a wider Azure security architecture
Questions to ask before adopting confidential computing
Why This Topic Matters:
Cloud security is not only about where data is stored or how it moves across the network. For many sensitive workloads, the processing layer itself becomes part of the security discussion. Confidential computing can help address this gap by adding stronger protection for data in use, but it must be understood properly and applied only where it brings real value.
This workshop will help attendees avoid two common mistakes: ignoring the data-in-use risk entirely, or adopting confidential computing without a clear workload justification. The session will provide a balanced view that connects security architecture, business risk, compliance needs, and operational feasibility.
Who Should Attend:
Security professionals
Cloud architects
Infrastructure architects
Azure engineers
Compliance and governance teams
Technical decision-makers
Professionals involved in sensitive workload design or cloud security review
Technology Areas:
Cloud Security
Azure Hybrid & Migration
Expected Takeaways:
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clearer understanding of how Azure Confidential Computing can support sensitive workload protection, how to assess relevant use cases, and how to include confidential computing within a wider security architecture covering identity, keys, monitoring, governance, and operational control.
Short Event Summary:
An online technical community workshop led by Waseem Awwad – Microsoft MVP, Security and Azure, focused on Azure Confidential Computing and practical security considerations for protecting sensitive workloads during processing, including confidential virtual machines, trusted execution environments, attestation, key protection, monitoring, and governance.