The PingDirectory software uses an encryption settings database to manage the keys that it uses for data encryption. Each encryption settings definition includes not only the key used to perform the encryption, but also specifies the cipher transformation that is used for that encryption. The encryption settings database can include multiple definitions, but only one of those definitions is marked as the preferred definition, and that is the one that is used for encrypting new data that is written to the database.

The PingDirectory server provides an encryption-settings tool that can manage the contents of the encryption settings database.