Guardium, an IBM Company
Encyclopedia
Guardium, an IBM Company, headquartered in the United States
, provides real-time database security
and monitoring solutions to safeguard enterprise data and address regulatory compliance
requirements.
By continuously monitoring access and changes to high-value databases, the Guardium platform helps prevent information leaks from the data center and ensure the integrity of corporate information stored in enterprise systems (SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle e-Business Suite, Siebel, etc.). Guardium’s enterprise platform is installed in more than 450 data centers worldwide.
gap by delivering a scalable enterprise security
platform that both protects data in real-time and automates the entire compliance auditing process.
The company’s key innovation was the development of a non-invasive architecture for continuous database auditing that captures granular information about all database activities (who, what, when, where, how) -- with minimal performance impact and without requiring changes to databases or applications.
The company raised a total of $21 million in 3 rounds of financing, including a strategic investment by Cisco in its Series C round. Other investors included Cedar Fund, Ascent Venture Partners, Stage One Ventures and Veritas Venture Partners.
On November 30, 2009, Guardium was acquired by IBM
. The company is now part of IBM’s Information Management
(IM) division, enabling IBM clients to assure information governance and maintain trusted information infrastructures in order to drive smarter business outcomes.
– lives in enterprise databases.
According to the 2008 Verizon Business
’ Data Breach Investigations Report cyber attacks targeting databases accounted for 75 percent of all records compromised in 2008 – compared to other data sources such as end-points (PCs and laptops) and backup tapes, which account for only 0.05 percent of breached data, highlighting the importance of protecting data where it resides – the database.
Guardium’s cross-platform solution is designed for heterogeneous environments – supporting a single set of cross-platform policies and a centralized audit repository for all major DBMS platforms (Oracle Database
, Microsoft SQL Server
, IBM DB2
and Informix
, Sybase ASE and IQ, MySQL
, Teradata
) and database protocols (TCP, Oracle Bequeath, shared memory, named pipes, etc.) running on all major operating systems (Windows, UNIX, Linux, z/OS, i5/OS).
The Guardium solution includes:
Guardium’s real-time, database activity monitoring
(DAM) solution uses both policy-based controls and anomaly detection
to prevent unauthorized activities by potential hackers, privileged insiders, and end-users of enterprise applications such as Oracle EBS, PeopleSoft
, and SAP.
It also consolidates and normalizes audit information from disparate systems into a centralized audit repository – which can then be used for enterprise-wide compliance reporting, forensics and analytics.
Guardium’s technology helps companies meet regulatory compliance
mandates such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
(SOX), and U.S. government regulations such as NIST 800-53, and EU regulations.
Regulatory compliance
mandates require organizations to monitor all database activity and provide:
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
, ArcSight
, BMC Software
, EMC Corporation
/RSA Security
, Hewlett-Packard
, IBM
, McAfee
, Microsoft
, Oracle Corporation
, Sun Microsystems
, Sybase
and Teradata
Corporation.
Guardium is also a member of IBM’s Data governance
Council and the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.
DBMS –Database management system
SOD – Separation of duties
PCI DSS
–Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
SOX – Sarbanes-Oxley Act
SQL
– Structured Query Language
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, provides real-time database security
Database security
Database security concerns the use of a broad range of information security controls to protect databases against compromises of their confidentiality, integrity and availability...
and monitoring solutions to safeguard enterprise data and address regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
requirements.
By continuously monitoring access and changes to high-value databases, the Guardium platform helps prevent information leaks from the data center and ensure the integrity of corporate information stored in enterprise systems (SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle e-Business Suite, Siebel, etc.). Guardium’s enterprise platform is installed in more than 450 data centers worldwide.
History
Founded in 2002, Guardium was the first company to address the data securityData security
Data security is the means of ensuring that data is kept safe from corruption and that access to it is suitably controlled. Thus data security helps to ensure privacy. It also helps in protecting personal data. Data security is part of the larger practice of Information security.- Disk Encryption...
gap by delivering a scalable enterprise security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
platform that both protects data in real-time and automates the entire compliance auditing process.
The company’s key innovation was the development of a non-invasive architecture for continuous database auditing that captures granular information about all database activities (who, what, when, where, how) -- with minimal performance impact and without requiring changes to databases or applications.
The company raised a total of $21 million in 3 rounds of financing, including a strategic investment by Cisco in its Series C round. Other investors included Cedar Fund, Ascent Venture Partners, Stage One Ventures and Veritas Venture Partners.
On November 30, 2009, Guardium was acquired by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. The company is now part of IBM’s Information Management
IBM Information Management Software
Information Management Software is one of the brands within IBM's Software Group division. The major Information Management products include:* DB2 — relational database management system...
(IM) division, enabling IBM clients to assure information governance and maintain trusted information infrastructures in order to drive smarter business outcomes.
Focus
Organizations’ most crucial data – customer, financial and intellectual propertyIntellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
– lives in enterprise databases.
According to the 2008 Verizon Business
Verizon Business
Verizon Business is one of three operating units of Verizon Communications It was created in 2006 when Verizon Communications closed on its merger with MCI, Inc..Verizon Business has over 30,000 employees with 321 offices in 75 countries...
’ Data Breach Investigations Report cyber attacks targeting databases accounted for 75 percent of all records compromised in 2008 – compared to other data sources such as end-points (PCs and laptops) and backup tapes, which account for only 0.05 percent of breached data, highlighting the importance of protecting data where it resides – the database.
Guardium’s cross-platform solution is designed for heterogeneous environments – supporting a single set of cross-platform policies and a centralized audit repository for all major DBMS platforms (Oracle Database
Oracle Database
The Oracle Database is an object-relational database management system produced and marketed by Oracle Corporation....
, Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, developed by Microsoft: It is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network...
, IBM DB2
IBM DB2
The IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition is a relational model database server developed by IBM. It primarily runs on Unix , Linux, IBM i , z/OS and Windows servers. DB2 also powers the different IBM InfoSphere Warehouse editions...
and Informix
Informix
IBM Informix is a family of relational database management system developed by IBM. It is positioned as IBM's flagship data server for online transaction processing as well as integrated solutions...
, Sybase ASE and IQ, MySQL
MySQL
MySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
, Teradata
Teradata
Teradata Corporation is a vendor specializing in data warehousing and analytic applications. Its products are commonly used by companies to manage data warehouses for analytics and business intelligence purposes. Teradata was formerly a division of NCR Corporation, with the spinoff from NCR on...
) and database protocols (TCP, Oracle Bequeath, shared memory, named pipes, etc.) running on all major operating systems (Windows, UNIX, Linux, z/OS, i5/OS).
The Guardium solution includes:
- Real-time database activity monitoringDatabase activity monitoringDatabase activity monitoring is a database security technology for monitoring and analyzing database activity that operates independently of the database management system and does not rely on any form of native auditing or native logs such as trace or transaction logs...
(DAM) for proactively identifying unauthorized or suspicious access or changes to databases; creating a secure audit trailAudit trailAudit trail is a sequence of steps supported by proof documenting the real processing of a transaction flow through an organization, a process or a system.....
of all activities including those performed by privileged users such as DBAs, developers and outsourced personnel; and preventing cyber attacks (e.g., SQL injectionSQL injectionA SQL injection is often used to attack the security of a website by inputting SQL statements in a web form to get a badly designed website in order to dump the database content to the attacker. SQL injection is a code injection technique that exploits a security vulnerability in a website's software...
). - Compliance automation solutions that simplify and automate compliance oversight processes including report generation, distribution to key stakeholders, electronic sign-offs, comments and escalations. The solution also includes pre-configured, best practices templates for key regulations such as SOXSarbanes-Oxley ActThe Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 , also known as the 'Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act' and 'Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act' and commonly called Sarbanes–Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a United States federal law enacted on July 30, 2002, which...
, PCI-DSS and data privacy regulations (HIPAAHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability ActThe Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It was originally sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. Nancy Kassebaum . Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their...
/HITECH, EU DPD, etc.). - Data-level access control (S-GATE) for blocking unauthorized access based on granular policies; typically used to prevent unauthorized access by privileged users such as DBAs, developers and outsourced personnel.
- Change control solutions for preventing unauthorized changes to database structures, data values, privileges and configurations, and automatically reconciling actual changes to approved change tickets from standard change ticketing systems (BMC Remedy, IBM Tivoli Service Desk, etc.).
- VulnerabilityVulnerability (computing)In computer security, a vulnerability is a weakness which allows an attacker to reduce a system's information assurance.Vulnerability is the intersection of three elements: a system susceptibility or flaw, attacker access to the flaw, and attacker capability to exploit the flaw...
and configuration managementConfiguration managementConfiguration management is a field of management that focuses on establishing and maintaining consistency of a system or product's performance and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.For information assurance, CM...
solutions for identifying database vulnerabilities such as missing patches, misconfigured configurations and default vendor accounts. Tests are based on industry best practices such as the CIS Benchmark and the DoD’s Database Security Technical Implementation GuideSecurity Technical Implementation GuideA Security Technical Implementation Guide or STIG is a methodology for standardized secure installation and maintenance of computer software and hardware. The term was coined by DISA who creates configuration documents in support of the United States Department of Defense...
(STIG). - Fraud prevention solutions that use application-layer monitoring to identify unauthorized activities by application end-users (SAP, PeopleSoftPeopleSoftPeopleSoft, Inc. was a company that provided Human Resource Management Systems , Financial Management Solutions , Supply Chain and customer relationship management software, as well as software solutions for manufacturing, enterprise performance management, and student administration to large...
, Oracle EBS, etc.). - Database leak prevention for automatically locating sensitive data and thwarting data center breaches by monitoring data leaving the database (not just inbound queries).
Guardium’s real-time, database activity monitoring
Database activity monitoring
Database activity monitoring is a database security technology for monitoring and analyzing database activity that operates independently of the database management system and does not rely on any form of native auditing or native logs such as trace or transaction logs...
(DAM) solution uses both policy-based controls and anomaly detection
Anomaly detection
Anomaly detection, also referred to as outlier detection refers to detecting patterns in a given data set that do not conform to an established normal behavior....
to prevent unauthorized activities by potential hackers, privileged insiders, and end-users of enterprise applications such as Oracle EBS, PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft, Inc. was a company that provided Human Resource Management Systems , Financial Management Solutions , Supply Chain and customer relationship management software, as well as software solutions for manufacturing, enterprise performance management, and student administration to large...
, and SAP.
It also consolidates and normalizes audit information from disparate systems into a centralized audit repository – which can then be used for enterprise-wide compliance reporting, forensics and analytics.
Guardium’s technology helps companies meet regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
mandates such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It was originally sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. Nancy Kassebaum . Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their...
(HIPAA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Sarbanes-Oxley Act
The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 , also known as the 'Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act' and 'Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act' and commonly called Sarbanes–Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a United States federal law enacted on July 30, 2002, which...
(SOX), and U.S. government regulations such as NIST 800-53, and EU regulations.
Regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance
In general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
mandates require organizations to monitor all database activity and provide:
- A continuous audit trailAudit trailAudit trail is a sequence of steps supported by proof documenting the real processing of a transaction flow through an organization, a process or a system.....
of all database activity, such as log-in failures, escalation of privileges, schema changes, access during off-hours or from unauthorized applications, and access to sensitive information. - Evidence of separation of dutiesSeparation of dutiesSeparation of duties is the concept of having more than one person required to complete a task. In business the separation by sharing of more than one individual in one single task shall prevent from fraud and error. The concept is alternatively called segregation of duties or, in the political...
(SOD). - Proof that proactive controls, such as real-time security alerts and blocking, exist and are being enforced.
- A formal oversight process.
Industry Recognition
Guardium has received several industry accolades including:2009
- SC Magazine UK awarded Guardium 5 out of 5 starts on Features, Performance, and Ease of Use.
- ITPro Gartner awarded Guardium 5 stars stating “Guardium is capable of ensuring consistent practices can be maintained across multiple databases and provides the tools to safeguard them and ensure their integrity.”
- ChannelWeb stated “Guardium’s database security may contain the most powerful compliance regulation tools that the Test Center has ever seen.”
2008
2007
- Forrester Research named Guardium “a Leader across the board” with “dominance and momentum on its side.” Guardium earned the #1 score for Architecture and the highest overall scores for Current Offering, Product Strategy and Corporate Strategy. Forrester expects Guardium to “maintain its leadership in supporting large heterogeneous environments, delivering high performance and scalability, simplifying administration, and performing real-time database protection.” (“The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Database Auditing And Real-Time Protection, Q4 2007” by Noel Yuhanna, October 2007.)
- Bank Technology News -- Top 10 Technology Company to Watch
- SQL Server Magazine 2007 Editor’s Choice Award – Auditing and Compliance
- Finalist – SC Magazine Reader Trust Award – Best Intellectual Property Protection
- SC Magazine UK awarded Guardium 5 out of 5 stars on Features, Performance, and Ease of Use
- Information Week published an in-depth lab review stating Guardium performed “at the top of the DBEP [database extrusion prevention] class” with “capabilities that stand out from other products we’ve tested.”
- Information Security completed a review of Guardium 6.0 and stated Guardium “has evolved from an impressive technology to an enterprise-class security product that should be on every organization’s radar.”
- American Business Awards Finalist: Best New Product or Service – Computer Software
2006
2005
Partners
AccentureAccenture
Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
, ArcSight
ArcSight
ArcSight, an HP company, was founded in 2000 and is a technology company that provides security information and event management solutions. ArcSight headquarters are located in Cupertino, California, USA, with sales offices around the globe including the United States, the United Kingdom, France,...
, BMC Software
BMC Software
BMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...
, EMC Corporation
EMC Corporation
EMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
/RSA Security
RSA Security
RSA, the security division of EMC Corporation, is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, and maintains offices in Australia, Ireland, Israel, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, China, Hong Kong and Japan....
, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, McAfee
McAfee
McAfee, Inc. is a computer security company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. It markets software and services to home users, businesses and the public sector. On August 19, 2010, electronics company Intel agreed to purchase McAfee for $7.68 billion...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, Sybase
Sybase
Sybase, an SAP company, is an enterprise software and services company offering software to manage, analyze, and mobilize information, using relational databases, analytics and data warehousing solutions and mobile applications development platforms....
and Teradata
Teradata
Teradata Corporation is a vendor specializing in data warehousing and analytic applications. Its products are commonly used by companies to manage data warehouses for analytics and business intelligence purposes. Teradata was formerly a division of NCR Corporation, with the spinoff from NCR on...
Corporation.
Guardium is also a member of IBM’s Data governance
Data governance
Data governance is an emerging discipline with an evolving definition. The discipline embodies a convergence of data quality, data management, data policies, business process management, and risk management surrounding the handling of data in an organization...
Council and the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.
Selected Customers
Guardium’s enterprise security platform is installed in more than 450 data centers worldwide, including:- The top 5 global bankBankA bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s - 4 of the top 6 insurers
- Top government agencies
- 2 of the top 3 retailers
- 20 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
- The leading dedicated security technology company
- A top 3 aerospaceAerospaceAerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
company - A leading supplier of business intelligence software
Industry Acronyms
DAM – Database activity monitoringDatabase activity monitoring
Database activity monitoring is a database security technology for monitoring and analyzing database activity that operates independently of the database management system and does not rely on any form of native auditing or native logs such as trace or transaction logs...
DBMS –Database management system
SOD – Separation of duties
Separation of duties
Separation of duties is the concept of having more than one person required to complete a task. In business the separation by sharing of more than one individual in one single task shall prevent from fraud and error. The concept is alternatively called segregation of duties or, in the political...
PCI DSS
PCI DSS
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is an information security standard for organizations that handle cardholder information for the major debit, credit, prepaid, e-purse, ATM, and POS cards....
–Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
SOX – Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Sarbanes-Oxley Act
The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 , also known as the 'Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act' and 'Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act' and commonly called Sarbanes–Oxley, Sarbox or SOX, is a United States federal law enacted on July 30, 2002, which...
SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
– Structured Query Language