diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fc36fc580..55b3339e5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ Hardware customization:
 
 Provisioning:
 * `ssh_username` - [**mandatory**] username in guest OS.
-* `ssh_password` - [**mandatory**] password in guest OS.
+* `ssh_password` - [**mandatory if ssh_private_key_file is not present**] password in guest OS.
+* `ssh_private_key_file` - [**mandatory if ssh_password is not present**] password in guest OS.
 
 Post-processing:
 * `shutdown_command` - VMware guest tools are used by default.
diff --git a/builder.go b/builder.go
index 579c2b9c9..a669abd47 100644
--- a/builder.go
+++ b/builder.go
@@ -4,12 +4,10 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/common"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
-	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/communicator"
-	gossh "golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/communicator/ssh"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
 	"github.com/jetbrains-infra/packer-builder-vsphere/driver"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
 )
 
 type Builder struct {
@@ -29,6 +27,7 @@ func (b *Builder) Prepare(raws ...interface{}) ([]string, error) {
 
 func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packer.Artifact, error) {
 	state := new(multistep.BasicStateBag)
+	state.Put("config", b.config)
 	state.Put("hook", hook)
 	state.Put("ui", ui)
 
@@ -45,21 +44,8 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 		&StepRun{},
 		&communicator.StepConnect{
 			Config:    &b.config.Config,
-			Host:      func(state multistep.StateBag) (string, error) {
-				return state.Get("ip").(string), nil
-			},
-			SSHConfig: func(multistep.StateBag) (*gossh.ClientConfig, error) {
-				return &gossh.ClientConfig{
-					User: b.config.Config.SSHUsername,
-					Auth: []gossh.AuthMethod{
-						gossh.Password(b.config.Config.SSHPassword),
-						gossh.KeyboardInteractive(
-							ssh.PasswordKeyboardInteractive(b.config.Config.SSHPassword)),
-					},
-					// TODO: add a proper verification
-					HostKeyCallback: gossh.InsecureIgnoreHostKey(),
-				}, nil
-			},
+			Host:      commHost,
+			SSHConfig: sshConfig,
 		},
 		&common.StepProvision{},
 		&StepShutdown{
diff --git a/ssh.go b/ssh.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ffdef905
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ssh.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
+
+	packerssh "github.com/hashicorp/packer/communicator/ssh"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
+)
+
+func commHost(state multistep.StateBag) (string, error) {
+	return state.Get("ip").(string), nil
+}
+
+func sshConfig(state multistep.StateBag) (*ssh.ClientConfig, error) {
+	config := state.Get("config").(*Config)
+
+	clientConfig := &ssh.ClientConfig{
+		User: config.Config.SSHUsername,
+		Auth: []ssh.AuthMethod{
+			ssh.Password(config.Config.SSHPassword),
+			ssh.KeyboardInteractive(
+				packerssh.PasswordKeyboardInteractive(config.Config.SSHPassword)),
+		},
+		HostKeyCallback: ssh.InsecureIgnoreHostKey(),
+	}
+
+	if config.Config.SSHPrivateKey != "" {
+		privateKey, err := ioutil.ReadFile(config.Config.SSHPrivateKey)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error loading configured private key file: %s", err)
+		}
+
+		signer, err := ssh.ParsePrivateKey(privateKey)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error setting up SSH config: %s", err)
+		}
+
+		clientConfig.Auth = []ssh.AuthMethod{ssh.PublicKeys(signer)}
+	}
+
+	return clientConfig, nil
+}