Database - The Final Firewall

The 'crown jewels' of most corporations lie in its data. Whether it is corporate identity trade secrets business practices contractual negotiations financial records customer records or other privileged information this is where the most tightly guarded assets lie. Most organizations have this information organized in a database management system. In following industry best practices for information security all organizations must set up layers of protection called 'defense in depth' to these assets. Every major layer of defense has many sub-layers each of which is an integral part of your defense. The last layer of protection before the raw data is usually your database management system itself. The database can be used not only to store and organize your information but it contains intrusion detection tools that can help to locate and isolate data theft or misuse. It is your final firewall. Multiple layers of security may be set in this last line of defense helping to control access monitor usage set tripwires for intrusions and attempt to maintain evidence needed if intrusions or misuse occur.