To provide security for a vCloud service based on VMware vCloud Director, VMware requires the implementation of certificates and key management for secure access and authentication to the vCloud Director server during its installation.

vCloud Director uses symmetric encryption to protect sensitive data from eavesdroppers and unwanted guests, uses public-key encryption to exchange keys securely over an insecure transport, and supports certificates and their digital signatures to establish a trust relationship. This makes it possible to create a secure protocol and channel between the vCloud Director service and end-tenant that functions over an insecure connection without any previous interaction between the parties. This enables secure data transmission in a shared, multitenant environment.