The Importance of Active Security

Data needs to be protected. This is well known. Whether at home, or more importantly in business, the need to have a reliable security feature is critical.

Yet security needs to be a constantly active feature. Simply installing software will not do. The best database security is a combination of software and regular testing which monitors performance to ensure everything is running as smoothly as it should. These combined methods unveil any hidden dangers, ensuring a data system is as safe as it can be.

Secure Systems

The first step in securing any database is to have the right security. Whilst you can limit access and control a lot of this from your office, it doesn't stop external parties trying to gain unlawful entry into your private data.

Any business typically has various financial records and customer details that are likely targets for such a breach, so it’s easy to see why a potential data-thief would be interested in your specific server.

Such data security involves a number of areas. The server and network themselves need to be closely protected as this is where the database is stored so a data breach could potentially give access to anything stored within.

Testing

Having such a security system in place is useful, but it needs to be tested. Why invest in something you can't guarantee works?

Just like you would stress test a server to ensure it suits your current needs, so too should you regularly invest in penetration tests for security. These are essentially the same principles; by recreating an actual breach or attack, you can know exactly how your security systems would fare.

Monitoring

Whilst it’s one thing to know that a secure and safe system is in place, it still doesn't excuse keeping a constant eye on your data. Active security monitoring ensures that nothing goes unnoticed. It’s still better to know if someone is trying to gain entry to your secure data than find out once it’s too late.

A common example of this is delta scanning. By scanning and establishing a baseline, delta scanning can use this as a reference for future scans. This can be done anywhere between a daily and annual basis. The more you do it, the more any noticeable changes can be flagged up. This can alert you to any attempts to breach the security, or from added traffic, such as a DDoS attack.