Oracle DV or Database Vault is not something new, but it gained much more relevance after the implementation of GDPR. It is an excellent additional resource to comply with data protection and privacy regulations, avoiding a tangle of third-party (hacks and workarounds) with proxy, middleman, and other extravagances to ensure data security.
Privileged DBA access helps us maintain our databases; however, it exposes us to failures and attacks. Failures such as removal of important or sensitive data, or even identity theft for improper use. Simple or complex, innocent or highly damaging, as Uncle Ben would say, “with great power comes great responsibility.” If you think I’m talking about the rice brand, this article is not for you.
Therefore, we DBAs have to protect ourselves from ourselves!
The titles are also separate blocks, which helps in outlining and organizing your content.
Enhanced Access Control
Prevent DBAs (junior or not) from manipulating accesses, or at least ensure there is a permanent and unalterable record of this action, and that the DBA group (or another group) is aware of this activity.
Sensitive Data
Sensitive Data Masking
The preservation of sensitive data is a concern for serious companies and DBAs, with or without GDPR. Over time, we have seen the institutional and financial damage caused to large corporations by the leakage of confidential information about clients, suppliers, partners, etc.
It is neither illegal nor incorrect to build intelligence databases, CRM, and strategic systems that provide complete profiles of our clients, such as: documents, socio-economic profiles, assets & services consumed, preferences, and purchase journeys, etc. However, this information must have controlled and specific access by the corporation’s internal business areas. They must not be exposed. Some highly relevant data:
- CPF or CNPJ (Brazilian individual/company taxpayer registry)
- Credit Card
- Salary
- Vehicle Plates
- Accounts (login)
- Passwords
Actually, the list is long; many data considered sensitive and protected don’t even make much sense at first glance, but are regulated—for example: personal description, physical characteristics, health and qualification data, residential and business addresses, etc. Our task is arduous, and we need tools to help us in this endeavor.
Data security is done directly at the database level and not at the “edges.” For a long time, data has been considered a valuable, important, and indispensable asset for corporations. Therefore, it must be protected in its raw form, at its origin, through a strong, resilient vault with seven thick keys.
Is Oracle Database Vault for me?
If the security of your data, regardless of any regulation, is important to your company, then yes, it is for you.
Obviously, there is an investment to consider. On average, each named user plus license costs around USD 200.
Is it complicated to implement? No! It’s relatively simple; a mid-level DBA with good knowledge of the operating system can do it with ease. I recommend a well-negotiated window with the business areas, a solid backup, and then go for it.
Conclusion
Oracle Database Vault is an additional, paid feature of Oracle Database that greatly facilitates the protection of the database as a whole, especially sensitive, confidential data that constitutes the great intangible asset of modern corporations.
Visit our Blog
Learn more about databases
Learn about monitoring with advanced tools
Have questions about our services? Visit our FAQ
Want to see how we’ve helped other companies? Check out what our clients say in these testimonials!
Discover the History of HTI Tecnologia
