5 Tips for keeping your databases secure

5 Tips for keeping your databases secure

Currently, we live connected. We access social media several times a day, read e-mails all the time, put our bank details on the web so we can make online purchases, among many other actions. All of them, regardless of the care we take, can bring risks to organizations. Basic precautions such as configuring antivirus or “getting away” from suspicious links are not enough in this age when our data is so exposed. And, never before as now, information has been so important for companies. Theft of confidential data can even sentence a business to its bankruptcy. For this reason, we have prepared an article with 5 tips to keep your databases secure!

Limit access to the database

If a lot of people have access to information, the end result will not be good. It is essential to have a strict control of access to databases. In addition to basic permissions, you should limit access to the most sensitive data to limited users, as this way, in the event of theft or exposure of data, it will be much easier to discover its origin. Another important point is to limit the consultation of the databases to the workplace, as you will be more protected than any other external device. If it is really necessary to consult information outside the office, a VPN connection should be used.

Distinguish sensitive data from critical data

You must analyze all your information very well and catalog it according to its importance and sensitivity. You must understand very well all the logic and architecture of the database, in order to define where and how confidential data should be stored. Not all data we have in companies is critical, so you should not spend more sophisticated resources on this type of information. The person responsible for information security must make an inventory of all the company’s databases, because only with a solid knowledge of the information you will he be able to protect it effectively.

Use a data masking solution

Data masking has the main purpose of protecting confidential data from unauthorized access. In practice, data masking tools create a version similar to the original data in terms of structure but without revealing its true information. In reality, its original format remains unchanged but the data presented is fictitious. The masked data can be used in test environments and in audits, not compromising the result of the analysis, but always guaranteeing the confidentiality of sensitive information. Software that allows data masking, such as Datapeers, allows access to data without exposing private information. This solution guarantees the highest levels of security and the highest level of performance. No business rules are damaged due to the extensive data masking library.

Have good backup and disaster recovery policies

Backup doesn’t solve the problem of a computer attack or an exposure of involuntary information, but it does guarantee that it is easier to recover data. Backup copies must be made daily and it is recommended that they be stored on an external server, preferably on the Cloud, due to the lower costs and the enhanced security that this form of storage offers. It is also advisable to use a disaster recovery service, a very complete solution that, in addition to copying the data, also guarantees its efficient restoration in the event of natural disasters or infrastructure failures. This type of solutions has the great objective of eliminating (or at least minimizing on a large scale) a company’s downtime due to failures. RAAS is a disaster recovery service fully managed by a specialized team and gives you the possibility to recover a virtual server in seconds.

Eliminate irrelevant information

All businesses have their specifics and not all companies need the same data. We often ask our customers for useless information that we will never use. These data only take up space in the database and are not relevant. Data that does not bring any value to the company should be eliminated, because the greater the amount of information, the more “front doors” for attacks the company will have.

 

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