Database Security
What is Database Security?
Database security is a broad-spectrum approach to managing one or several database environments, protecting both the information stored within them and the data management process itself from cyberattacks and other malicious actors.
Why is database security important?
Database security helps companies protect their data from a variety of threats, including external attacks like hacking, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, or malware and internal threats like human error and malicious/negligent insiders. By protecting information contained within the database, companies avoid losing access to sensitive or proprietary data—or losing that data entirely—and preserve their reputation as a reliable business that protects its assets, people, and customers.
What are the challenges of database security?
As more data is generated, collected, and analyzed, it becomes harder to adequately protect it, requiring more visibility and scalability as volumes increase. The prominence of edge computing and its accompanying distributed infrastructures increases complexity even further. The less centralized a network is from the data center, the more potential access points to that database, along with cloud and multi-cloud environments for specialized workloads. Regulatory compliance and guidelines also demand extra procedures and precautions, which often require frequent infrastructure updates and ongoing IT training.
How do you secure your database server?
Protecting a database requires security at the physical, virtual, and operating system (OS) levels. Effective security at every level is sometimes called “hardening.”
Physical security is twofold: keeping the hard-metal data center secure with locks and security cameras, helping prevent and deter unauthorized direct access. Virtually speaking, physical security looks like removing sensitive information from public access, which can include backups, temporary partitions, cloud storage buckets, and web folders. In general, unless a company is providing database storage, databases should not be publicly available.
As an extension of physical security, authorized access to the database should only include essential workloads for daily operations. And each account should have a password that is strong and unique.
All files and backups should be encrypted, so only those with an encryption key can read that information. All virtual security measures should have the latest updates (e.g., patches) and software to prevent viruses, malware, and hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities.
What are database security best practices?
All companies should abide by rigorous password creation and management protocols. In addition to requiring strong passwords, organizations should eliminate password sharing and conduct regular password reviews. For instance, whenever a staff member’s clearance changes, because they change positions or leave the company, those accounts should have their permissions adjusted or deactivated.
Cutting-edge databases will rely on some form of real-time monitoring that observes all user behaviors within the environment and identifies anomalous behavior using tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Teams can be alerted to any potential cyber threats and take immediate action.
Database security overall should be tested regularly for unforeseen or unknown gaps in firewalls and physical security. Such testing can be done by internal teams or by trusted third-party providers.
HPE and database security
HPE is a leader in enterprise-grade security solutions across the database infrastructure, providing both the hardware to enable high-performance databases and the tools to protect them.
HPE Security Solutions help companies secure the database physically and virtually—from the supply chain to the cloud to the BIOS level. HPE solutions enable data availability, maximizing data value and optimizing business results throughout the technology lifecycle. These solutions also include zero-trust technologies and solutions that dynamically authenticate data and applications. By continuously learning, adapting, and evolving, our security capabilities maintain the integrity of your environment.
HPE GreenLake for Database supports high-performance databases with a more robust infrastructure, eliminating the time- and cost-consuming manual processes and siloed operations that traditional IT requires. The HPE GreenLake platform delivers the pay-per-use pricing, point-and-click self-service, scalability, and flexibility of the cloud experience with the security of dedicated, on-premises IT. Pre-sized database-optimized configurations provide superior uninterrupted operations for mission-critical environments. HPE storage options offer benefits including AI-driven predictive analytics to speed troubleshooting and enable uptime for business databases, including guaranteed data availability.