ControlPlane unveils enterprise support for OpenBao

ControlPlane has launched an enterprise support service for OpenBao, an open source secrets management platform, as organisations reassess their options following IBM's acquisition of HashiCorp.

The new offering, ControlPlane Enterprise for OpenBao, targets organisations in Asia Pacific and other regions seeking a supported path to adopt and run OpenBao in production.

The launch follows IBM's USD $6.4 billion purchase of HashiCorp and the move of Vault into IBM Software. The deal has prompted some Vault users and related tooling teams to consider open source alternatives and commercial support options outside IBM's portfolio.

Secrets focus

Secrets management has become a priority for security and platform teams as cloud usage grows and more systems rely on machine identities, credentials, and access tokens. AI initiatives have also increased automated workloads and service-to-service connections, expanding the volume of secrets organisations must protect.

ControlPlane positioned OpenBao as part of a broader trend of open source security projects drawing attention as enterprises weigh cost, flexibility, and risk. It described its service as a structured way to deploy OpenBao, with operational support and defined security work.

ControlPlane Enterprise for OpenBao includes security hardening and supply chain assurance. It also offers rapid remediation for common vulnerabilities and exposures, with an option for cryptographic compliance with FIPS 140-3.

The service covers secure architecture and configuration, plus integration with existing identity and security systems. It also includes operational runbooks and ongoing product and implementation support from ControlPlane consultants.

Operational assurance

For enterprises, secrets management sits alongside identity, logging, and vulnerability management as a key control for limiting attacker movement inside environments. Poorly managed secrets can expose privileged access paths across cloud services, CI/CD systems, and internal applications.

Andrew Martin, CEO of ControlPlane, described the risks in terms of modern infrastructure design and the speed of attacker exploitation.

"Modern infrastructure runs on secrets, machine identities, and credentials that allow systems to operate securely. If those secrets are exposed or poorly managed, attackers can move rapidly through an environment," said Martin.

OpenBao is open source software for storing and managing sensitive information, including credentials and tokens, and for controlling access to systems and data. The project emerged as organisations sought continuity and choice in secrets tooling after licensing and ownership changes in the market.

ControlPlane is linking the service to its work with regulated organisations and the operational demands of running secrets infrastructure at scale.

"OpenBao represents an important step forward for the open source security ecosystem. With ControlPlane Enterprise for OpenBao, we are delivering a modern secrets management platform backed by our years of experience with regulated organisations, offering enterprise-grade security, operational assurance, and the expertise to run it at massive scale," said Martin.

Contributor links

ControlPlane also highlighted connections between its engineering team and the OpenBao project. Founding engineer Alex Scheel is OpenBao's top contributor and a former Technical Steering Committee chair.

Scheel previously authored Vault's core cryptographic layer while at HashiCorp, and later deployed that work for GitLab into its native secrets manager.

ControlPlane's Asia Pacific leadership said recent incidents have sharpened customer focus on secrets hygiene and on practical approaches that reduce operational burden. Aiman Alsari, Head of Asia Pacific at ControlPlane, said interest is coming from sectors with stricter risk and compliance requirements.

"After a string of high-profile incidents last year, both across Asia Pacific and globally, the message from our customers is clear: protecting the keys to their infrastructure is fundamental to preventing a breach. That's why we've packaged enterprise-grade support around the open source project, to give security and platform teams the flexibility and cost advantages of open source without taking on the full operational risk themselves.

"We've already had significant enquiries from organisations across banking, retail, government, and finance, and that interest tells us something important: teams are looking for practical, supported ways to harden the places attackers go after first.

"By combining an open source secrets manager with enterprise-grade technology, ControlPlane customers get the best of both worlds-agility and cost control, plus the confidence of vendor-backed operations. That combination is what's driving the early momentum we're seeing," said Alsari.

ControlPlane said the OpenBao service is available immediately through its global consulting teams, covering delivery from design and configuration through to ongoing operational support.