Redgate Software’s SQL Data Catalog now provides a simple, policy-driven approach to data protection. Along with automatically scanning columns within databases and using intelligent rules to make recommendations about how they should be classified, the platform now auto-generates static data masking sets from the classification metadata that can be used to protect the databases.
This is not a one-off exercise, but an ongoing effort that requires a continuous approach to data protection, typically involving three steps, according to the vendor.
First, organizations need a data protection plan to identify and classify which databases hold data that needs protecting and how.
They then need to implement the plan in a way that guarantees sensitive and personal data is always removed or obfuscated by a method like masking database copies that are used outside secure production environments. And thirdly, the plan has to be maintained on a rolling basis as databases and their data expand and change.
SQL Data Catalog v2 reduces the time it takes to go from identification and classification to protection, while making maintenance simpler. When connected to a SQL Server instance, it automatically examines both the schema and data of each database to determine where personal or sensitive data is stored.
An extensive set of built-in classification rules, which can be customized to align to particular regulatory requirements, then speed up data classification with automatic suggestions and intelligent rules based on automated data scanning.
This identifies which columns need to be masked, either manually, or by using a tool like Redgate Data Masker which can sanitize the data using the auto-generated data masking sets provided.
As databases are added, and existing databases modified, the data classifications are automatically maintained in SQL Data Catalog, and the data masking sets it creates can be updated on demand.
This policy-driven approach enables organizations to ease and streamline their data management processes by automating and maintaining their security posture. This protects their sensitive data, puts in place an auditable workflow, and ensures they stay compliant with regulatory agencies, according to the vendor.
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