Vendors Move to Merge the Database and the Cloud

Now that storage has provided the wedge service for the cloud, the race is on to see who can tap into some of the higher-level enterprise functions, like database management.

A number of services are already offering database resources over the cloud, and the vendor community is not shy about touting its ability to provide cloud-optimized tools and platforms, but the question remains whether there are more negatives than positives here.

Author Ken North does a good job of peeking through the bushes on Dr. Dobb's Journal this week. He points out that success or failure depends largely on your expectations and on factors such as the type of application being served (BI, e-commerce, knowledge bases, etc.), as well as deployment and integration issues and budgets. He says the cloud is most effective when it comes to large data sets and heavy load applications, which is why many of the early adopters come from the biomed and financial industries.

Microsoft's Azure platform should provide a major boost for cloud-based relational database applications, according to tech blogger Nari Kannan. It includes all manner of Web services designed for SQL users, without all those pesky tasks like installing new software releases, service packs and the like. Cloud-based SQL servers can be distributed around the world, with automated backup, replication and archiving.

Other providers are looking to join the party, too. Users of the Oracle Hyperion Essbase platform would be interested to know that Applied OLAP is now partnered with EPMCloud.com, providing a convenient test bed for Dodeca and Essbase applications. The deal overcomes one of the major stumbling blocks for OLAP analytical and reporting tools: the lack of a convenient development environment that can accurately mirror real-world OLAP environments.

When you start putting major data loads onto the cloud, however, bandwidth quickly becomes an issue. That's the main reason Vertica Systems has added the new FlexStore architecture to its Vertica 3.5 column database. The system allows you to customize performance and compression levels to minimize file I/O for individual queries. The system is available either in-house on Linux or VMware platforms or on cloud services like EC2.

Putting large databases on the cloud is subject to the same concerns as cloud-based storage or other applications, namely performance and security. The hope is that as the cloud takes on a greater share of overall enterprise functionality, users will come to realize that the cloud is no less subject to failure or breach than any other architecture. In the meantime, you get virtually unlimited scalability, global load management and powerful, up-to-date functionality -- all at lower price points than in-house systems.

If the cloud is to become the alternative enterprise architecture that backers claim, it will likely succeed or fail on how well it can handle databases.

Imperva assigns security risk levels to databases

By Erin Kelly, Contributor 06 Apr 2009 | SearchSecurity.com

Database security vendor Imperva Inc. is adding automated risk scoring and visualization of databases to its activity monitoring platform in an update that industry analysts say would be welcomed by companies seeking ways to get a better handle on data located in multiple systems.

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The latest SecureSphere platform will use data gathered by discovery and vulnerability assessment features to assign risk scores to databases. The data discovery component shows what was found on the database and assigns different colors to different levels of risk, said Mark Kraynak, vice president of marketing for Imperva. The level of risk is based on outside factors such as the common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS), but individuals can also customize their own levels.

"When you look at the server, if it's red, you can see the kind of data stored on it has a high risk associated with it," Kraynak said. "In the detailed view, it shows you what vulnerabilities are associated with the data. From this screen, you can go to mitigate risk or create paths and workflow for investigators to look at it."

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These new risk management capabilities are unique because they are visual and help individuals see where the data is, what risks are associated with it, and eventually allows individuals to mitigate and manage their risk, he said.

Risk management has become a bigger requirement today, as more and more organizations are focusing on the broader context of database security, said Noel Yuhanna, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. More organizations are seeking a high-level view of the status and risk level of company databases, because customers who previously focused on one or two databases are now looking for an end-to-end view of thousands of databases, Yuhanna said.

While database vendors are addressing risk in their products to some degree, the gap between vendors and third-party applications like SecureSphere is that vendors don't really focus on much in terms of data classification, data discovery or compliance, Yuhanna said.

Oracle has a similar data risk management capability, called the Audit Vault, but the extent of data discovery is less than SecureSphere, Yuhanna said. SecureSphere provides a scoring system based on vulnerabilities and compliance and can give you views on what multiple databases look like, he said.

"Where the database vendors typically focus on the database administrators, Imperva solutions focus more strongly on the CISO and security group aspect," Yuhanna said.

SecureSphere version 7 includes Database Activity Monitoring (DAM), Database Firewall (DBF) and Data Security Suite (DSS). It works with IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle database management systems (DBMS). The capabilities associate increased risk when it discovers database or operating system misconfigurations, database or operating system vulnerabilities and potential misuse of sensitive data, Kraynak said.

Kraynak advises users to assess the database periodically for best results.

"The challenges for risk management are that databases are very dynamic environments, changing on a daily basis," he said. "What you want to do is schedule that same process to happen on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis."

Rich Mogull, a former Gartner analyst and founder of security consultancy Securosis, said SecureSphere does not focus on any specific threats, but gives individuals and organizations great visibility and knowledge of what's going on in their databases.

"[SecureSphere] is focused on activity, not specifically vulnerabilities," Mogull said. "It shows things like how many times an administrator has changed privileges, or if all the sudden there is an unusual amount of volume towards a query or a particular part of the database."

Mogull said other database security vendors will follow with risk management capabilities.

"There are tons of vulnerabilities in everything out there," he said. "SecureSphere correlates vulnerability with the value of what you're trying to protect, which is really helpful."

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Minis--Your Personal MP3 Database (zip)

Overview: Minis helps you manage, search, tag, and rename mp3 files. If you have many mp3 files on CD, DVD or hard disk, Minis helps you get all the information of the mp3 files and add them into a built-in database within 3 steps. You can search your file efficiently, even without the CD or DVD. Minis also supports other media files such as wmv/wma. In addition, Minis provides a "Windows Explorer" like interface to enable you to search mp3 files in your local hard disk. Function to play the media file with Windows Media Player is also available. An mp3 tag editor is also included. You can also export search results to HTML file. The new Minis Friend function let you search your friend's database. A search history is also kept for quick reference. EasyTag function helps you rename or tag file in batch.Version 2.3 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

(Is this item miscategorized? Does it need more tags? Let us know.)

Format: Software | Size: 700KB | Date: Nov 2006 | Version: 2.3 | System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP | License: Free to try | Price: $15.00 | Limitations: 30-day trial | Screen Shot | Downloads: 22

ValueCentric is using Oracle

ValueCentric Uses Oracle(R) Database and Oracle Unbreakable Linux to Power Software as a Service Offering for the Pharmaceutical Industry

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 21 -- Oracle today announced that ValueCentric, LLC, a data management and performance analytics company providing on-demand services to the pharmaceutical industry, is using Oracle(R) Database running on Oracle Enterprise Linux, backed by the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, to support the company's software as a service (SaaS) offering. The company migrated to Oracle Database from MySQL to improve the performance, availability, scalability, and security of its flagship data analysis product, ValueTrak.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020718/ORCLLOGO)

Founded in 2002 as a consultancy to the pharmaceutical industry, ValueCentric quickly recognized the need for a software solution to address an industry shift toward a fee-for-service business model, in which pharmaceutical manufacturers pay distributors for their distribution services and performance in key areas such as maintaining certain inventory days on hand (DOH) and customer service levels. In response to the new business model shift and the dramatic increase in data exchange between all entities in the industry, ValueCentric developed the ValueTrak Platform. ValueTrak aggregates high volumes of daily data and analyzes it using a proprietary and customizable monitoring, reporting and scorecarding methodology to help manufacturers optimize their supply chains and improve business decisions. ValueCentric built its first version of ValueTrak on MySQL. However, as the company expanded to support global leaders such as AstraZeneca, Roche, and P&G Pharmaceuticals, ValueCentric became concerned about MySQL's ability to keep pace with the data growth and quality of service requirements of its customers.

"As our customer base expanded and the amount of data we were managing grew, it became apparent that down the road it wouldn't be possible for us to maintain the same level of performance," said Dave Flood, Vice President Information Services, ValueCentric. "The MySQL database became a potential obstacle to our continued success, and we needed to migrate to a solution that enabled a more predictable and higher performance level."

In seeking a replacement for its MySQL database, ValueCentric had very specific guidelines around performance, scalability, availability and security. Oracle exceeded each of the requirements by a significant margin, and that, combined with Oracle's support and flexibility ultimately led to the selection of Oracle Database and Oracle Enterprise Linux as the underlying infrastructure for the ValueTrak Platform.

"The Oracle team was extremely diligent in providing resources to make sure our questions were answered and to put us in a position where we were able to test the product fully to make sure our go-live was a complete success," said John LoFaso, Director-Technical Operations, ValueCentric. "Since we were evaluating our Linux distribution at the same time we were reviewing the database, it made sense to tie everything together. It was an easy transition, and with respect to the operating system, the conversion was virtually flawless."

Helping Reduce Risk and Complexity in the SaaS Environment

In addition to better performance and scalability, ValueCentric is benefiting from the high availability features of Oracle Data Guard. Oracle Data Guard enables ValueCentric to benefit from fast incremental backups while providing high availability and disaster protection for both planned and unplanned outages. In addition, Oracle Enterprise Manager gives ValueCentric visibility across its systems and networks, allowing it to automate critical management activities, gain insight into its application's performance and improve service levels for its customers.

"Operating in a SaaS model and being the industry leader for data management and performance analytics, our customers expect continuous uptime and availability of the ValueTrak Platform to help meet their business goals," said Dave Janca, Founder & CEO, ValueCentric. "Our prior environment made it increasingly difficult to support this requirement and was a significant obstacle to our ability to fulfill the obligations of a SAS 70 compliant data center. With Oracle Data Guard, we have greatly improved the disaster recovery functionality we require with little additional cost or equipment required to support it."

"An increasing number of ISV's, like ValueCentric, are turning to Oracle software to build, deploy and manage business-critical applications," said William Hardie, vice president, Database Product Marketing, Oracle. "Oracle Database, Oracle Enterprise Linux and the enterprise-quality Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, enable growing companies like ValueCentric to reduce the total cost of ownership for their technology solutions, improve system performance and increase operational efficiency with a single point of contact."

For more information on Oracle Database, including Oracle Database 11g, please visit: http://www.oracle.com/database.

The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program delivers enterprise-class support for Linux with premier backports, lifetime support, comprehensive Linux server lifecycle management, full indemnification, extensive testing and more, all while allowing a significantly lower cost of support for users. For more information please visit: http://www.oracle.com/linux.

About ValueCentric

ValueCentric, LLC(R) is the leading provider of on-demand data management and performance analytics to the pharmaceutical industry. Through its secure, Sarbanes-Oxley compliant hosted data and services platform, ValueTrak(R), the company analyzes manufacturers sales, inventory, service levels and supply chain data. Serving world-class customers such as AstraZeneca, P&G Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson, ValueCentric's best-in-class technology strengthens and enhances the profitability of relationships between suppliers and the finished goods forward participants in their supply chain. To learn more, please visit http://www.valuecentric.com.

About Oracle

Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.