Syncsort releases Assure Security to help organizations with security and compliance challenges

Syncsort, the global leader in Big Iron to Big Data software, announced Assure Security, combining access control, data privacy, compliance monitoring and risk assessment into a single product.

Together, these capabilities help security officers, IBM i administrators and Db2 administrators address critical security challenges and comply with new regulations meant to safeguard and protect the privacy of data.

There were 828 reported security incidents in 2018 resulting in the exposure of over 1.37 billion records of sensitive data, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non-profit corporation with a mission to advocate for data privacy.

As regulations to help protect consumer and business data become stricter and more numerous, organizations must build more robust data governance and security programs.

They have scrambled to comply with GDPR and the New York Department of Financial Services Cybersecurity regulations and are now preparing for the GDPR-like California Consumer Privacy Act, which takes effect January 1, 2020.

“In a recent survey, Syncsort found security is the number one priority for IT pros with IBM i systems. Given the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, it’s not surprising 41 percent of respondents reported that their company experienced a security breach and 20 percent more were unsure if they had been breached,” said David Hodgson, CPO, Syncsort.

“Our new Assure Security product leverages our wealth of IBM i security technology and expertise to help organizations address their highest-priority challenges. This includes protecting against vulnerabilities introduced by new, open-source methods of connecting to IBM i systems, adopting new cloud services and complying with expanded government regulations.”

Assure Security brings together best-in-class IBM i security capabilities acquired by Syncsort into an all-in-one solution, with the flexibility for customers to license individual modules. Highlights of the new product include:

• Assure Compliance Monitoring quickly identifies security and compliance issues with real-time alerts and reports on IBM i system activity and database changes. Innovative new technology also monitors views of highly confidential Db2 data, with the option to block data from view. Security data can optionally be sent to enterprise SIEM solutions, where IBM i security can be monitored alongside other enterprise platforms.
• Assure Access Control provides control of access to IBM i systems and their data through a bundle of capabilities that deliver powerful, flexible multi-factor authentication with RSA SecurID certification, automated management and tracking of elevated user authorities, and comprehensive coverage of system and database access points.
• Assure Data Privacy protects IBM i data at-rest and in-motion from unauthorized access and theft through a combination of NIST-certified encryption, tokenization, masking and secure file transfer capabilities. Encryption and tokenization are conveniently packaged together for protection of data at rest, while secure file transfer protects data moving across networks from view.
• Assure Security Risk Assessment thoroughly examines over a dozen categories of security values, open ports, powerful users and more to report on findings and deliver recommendations for addressing vulnerabilities. A summary report is provided for less technical stakeholders, and risk assessment services are available through Syncsort Global Services to perform the assessment and advise on remediation steps.
• Integration with Syncsort’s MIMIX and Quick-EDD High Availability products through a common enterprise monitoring dashboard and failover scripting to simplify monitoring and switching for users of both Assure Security and Syncsort’s High Availability products.