Nathan Eddy, Freelance WriterMay 1, 20254 Min ReadBrain light via Alamy StockAs cyber threats grow more sophisticated and data privacy regulations grow sharper teeth, chief CIOs are under increasing pressure to secure enterprise data at every stage -- at rest, in motion, and now, increasingly, in use. Confidential computing, a technology that protects data while it is being processed, is becoming an essential component of enterprise security strategies. While the promise is clear, the path to implementation is complex and demands strategic coordination across business, IT, and compliance teams. Itai Schwartz, co-founder and CTO at Mind, explains confidential computing enables secure data processing even in decentralized environments, which is particularly important for AI workloads and collaborative applications. “Remote attestation capabilities further support a zero-trust approach by allowing systems to verify the integrity of workloads before granting access,” he says via email.   CIOs Turning to Confidential Computing At its core, confidential computing uses trusted execution environments (TEEs) to isolate sensitive workloads from the broader computing environment. This ensures that sensitive data remains encrypted even while in use -- something traditional security methods cannot fully achieve. “CIOs should treat confidential computing as an augmentation of their existing security stack, not a replacement,” says Heath Renfrow, CISO and co-founder at Fenix24. Related:He says a balanced approach enables CIOs to enhance security posture while meeting regulatory requirements, without sacrificing business continuity. The technology is especially valuable in sectors like finance, healthcare, and the public sector, where regulatory compliance and secure multi-party data collaboration are top priorities.  Confidential computing is particularly valuable in industries handling highly sensitive data, explains Anant Adya, executive vice president and head of Americas at Infosys. “It enables secure collaboration without exposing raw data, helping banks detect fraud across institutions while preserving privacy,” he explains via email.   Implementation Without Disruption Despite its potential, implementing confidential computing can be disruptive if not handled carefully. This means CIOs must start with a phased and layered strategy. “Begin by identifying the most sensitive workloads, such as those involving regulated data or cross-border collaboration, and isolate them within TEEs,” Renfrow says. “Then integrate confidential computing with existing IAM, DLP, and encryption frameworks to reduce operational friction.” Related:Adya echoes that sentiment, noting organizations can integrate confidential computing by adopting a phased approach that aligns with their existing security architecture. He recommends starting with high-risk workloads like financial transactions or health data before expanding deployment. Schwartz emphasizes the importance of setting long-term expectations for deployment.  “Introducing confidential computing is a big change for organizations,” he says. “A common approach is to define a policy where every new data-sensitive component will be created using confidential computing, and existing components will be migrated over time.” Jason Soroko, senior fellow at Sectigo, stresses the importance of integrating confidential computing into the broader enterprise architecture. “CIOs should consider the value of separating ‘user space’ from a ‘secure space,’” he says.  Enclaves are ideal for storing secrets like PKI key pairs and digital certificates, allowing sensitive workloads to be isolated from their authentication functions. Addressing Performance and Scalability One of the main challenges CIOs face when deploying confidential computing is performance overhead. TEEs can introduce latency and may not scale easily without optimization. Related:“To address performance and scalability while maintaining business value, CIOs can prioritize high-impact workloads,” Renfrow says. “Focus TEEs on workloads with the highest confidentiality requirements, like financial modeling or AI/ML pipelines that rely on sensitive data.” Adya suggests keeping fewer sensitive computations outside TEEs to reduce the load. “Offload only the most sensitive computations, and leverage hardware acceleration and cloud-managed confidential computing services to improve efficiency,” he recommends. Soroko adds that hardware selection is critical, suggesting CIOs should be choosing TEE hardware that has an appropriate level of acceleration. “Combine TEEs with hybrid cryptographic techniques like homomorphic encryption to reduce overhead while maintaining data security,” he says.  For scalability, Renfrow recommends infrastructure automation, for example adopting infrastructure-as-code and DevSecOps pipelines to dynamically provision TEE resources as needed. “This improves scalability while maintaining security controls,” he says.  Aligning with Zero Trust and Compliance Confidential computing also supports zero-trust architecture by enforcing the principle of “never trust, always verify.” TEEs and remote attestation create a secure foundation for workload verification, especially in decentralized or cloud-native environments. “Confidential computing extends zero-trust into the data application layer,” Schwartz says. “This is a powerful way to ensure that sensitive operations are only performed under verified conditions.” Compliance is another major driver for adoption, with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CPRA increasingly demand data protection throughout the entire lifecycle -- including while data is in use. The growing list of regulations and compliance issues will require CIOs to demonstrate stronger safeguards during audits. “Map confidential computing capabilities directly to emerging data privacy regulations,” Renfrow says. “This approach can reduce audit complexity and strengthen the enterprise’s overall compliance posture.” Adya stresses the value of collaboration across internal teams, pointing out successful deployment requires coordination between IT security, cloud architects, data governance leaders, and compliance officers.  As confidential computing matures, CIOs will play a pivotal role in shaping how enterprises adopt and scale the technology. For organizations handling large volumes of sensitive data or operating under stringent regulatory environments, confidential computing is no longer a fringe solution -- it’s becoming foundational. Success will depend on CIOs guiding adoption through a focus on integration, continuous collaboration across their enterprise, and by aligning security strategies with business objectives. “By aligning confidential computing with measurable outcomes -- like reduced risk exposure, faster partner onboarding, or simplified audit readiness -- CIOs can clearly demonstrate its business value,” Renfrow says. About the AuthorNathan EddyFreelance WriterNathan Eddy is a freelance writer for InformationWeek. He has written for Popular Mechanics, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, FierceMarkets, and CRN, among others. In 2012 he made his first documentary film, The Absent Column. He currently lives in Berlin.See more from Nathan EddyReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like