Dark Reading Launches a New Database Security Tech Center

Dark Reading, the leading comprehensive news and information portal that focuses on IT security, announced a new, vendor-neutral Web site dedicated to educating IT professionals about database security, exclusively sponsored by Guardium, the database security company.

The Database Security Tech Center (http://www.darkreading.com/database_security/?cid=pr), developed by TechWeb's Dark Reading, provides news, analysis and best practices to help readers make informed decisions about how to build and configure secure databases, and implement defenses against potential vulnerabilities and unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Savvy security professionals are paying much more attention to database security. In fact, a recent data breach study by Verizon Business Services revealed that database servers accounted for the vast majority - a full 75 percent - of all compromised records during 2008, while other IT assets such as laptops and backup tapes accounted for less than 0.05 percent of compromised data. The study also found that, in spite of strict guidelines such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), payment card data represents 98 percent of all compromised records, due in part to the existence of a sophisticated underground economy with a well-established infrastructure for monetizing this information.

"While much of Dark Reading's coverage has previously focused on building perimeter defenses against network attacks and vulnerabilities, the Database Security Tech Center focuses specifically on database vulnerabilities, issues and defenses - because enterprise database infrastructures contain your organization's most sensitive data," said Tim Wilson, editor of Dark Reading. "We're committed to examining the reasons why databases are breached, uncovering the common mistakes many security and database administrators make, reviewing the latest technologies for defending the database against internal and external attacks, and analyzing the trends and regulations that shape database security."

The site also includes complimentary downloads of educational content such as:

  --  Analyst reports, including "Why Your Databases Are Vulnerable to
      Attack - And What You Can Do About It."
  --  A chapter from HOWTO Secure and Audit Oracle 10g and 11g (CRC Press,
      2009) on "Hardening the Database."
  --  A white paper on "8 Steps to Holistic Database Security."

  --  A database activity monitoring (DAM) case study on how a global F500
      company achieved an ROI of 239% and a payback period of less than 6
      months.

"Databases are the most complex systems in data centers today - with more sheer lines of code, functionality, and configuration options than any other system, including modern operating systems and application servers," said Phil Neray, vice president of security strategy, Guardium. "IT professionals are looking for detailed technical information to help them secure critical databases and enforce corporate policies for sensitive data access and change control - without creating more work for their DBAs or impacting performance. Dark Reading's Database Security Tech Center fills an important void by providing practical, vendor-independent content in plain English - making it immediately useful to security professionals, DBAs and IT auditors."

Dark Reading is a comprehensive news and information portal that focuses on IT security, helping information security professionals manage the balance between data protection and user access. Dark Reading is part of TechWeb, a division of United Business Media.

About Guardium

Guardium (http://www.guardium.com/index.php/t2/224/), the database security company, delivers the most widely-used solution for preventing information leaks from the data center and ensuring the integrity of enterprise data. Founded in 2002, Guardium was the first company to address the core data security gap by delivering a scalable enterprise platform that both protects databases in real-time and automates the entire compliance auditing process.

The company's enterprise security platform is now installed in more than 450 data centers worldwide, including 5 of the top 5 global banks; 3 of the top 5 insurers; top government agencies; 2 of the top 3 retailers; 15 of the world's top telcos; 2 of the world's favorite beverage brands; the most recognized name in PCs; a top 3 auto maker; a top 3 aerospace company; and a leading supplier of business intelligence software.

Guardium has partnerships with Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, BMC, EMC, Accenture, McAfee and ArcSight, with Cisco as a strategic investor, and is a member of IBM's prestigious Data Governance Council and the PCI Security Standards Council.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (http://techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events such as Interop, Enterprise 2.0, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as Informationweek.com, Dark Reading, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, bMighty.com; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, market research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections across TechWeb brands.

  Contact:   Ellen Asuncion
             Sr. Marketing Manager
             949.223.3622
             easuncion@techweb.com

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SOURCE: TechWeb

CONTACT: Ellen Asuncion, Sr. Marketing Manager, +1-949-223-3622,
easuncion@techweb.com

Web Site: http://www.techweb.com/