The importance of database security continues to grow, with the focus shifting from isolated database protection measures through database security posture management (DSPM) to an emerging emphasis on integrated data security platforms (DSP) designed to safeguard critical business data from loss, threats, and misuse. A recent Leadership Compass report by KuppingerCole Lead Analyst & CTO Alexei Balaganski covers the market landscape of data security platforms and underscores the critical importance of robust data security in today’s threat and regulatory landscape.
Oracle is proud to be recognized by KuppingerCole as an Overall Leader in Data Security Platforms. Among the companies identified in the report, Oracle stands out for its robust and integrated approach to data security. As the report highlights, “Oracle remains a leader in enterprise database security, offering an unparalleled blend of automation, scalability, and integration across its ecosystem.”
Adapting to today’s challenges
Modern data security must adapt to an increasingly complex environment. The KuppingerCole report identifies three pivotal trends that amplify the importance of securing your database fleet:
- The proliferation of multicloud and hybrid environments: While offering agility and scalability, these environments introduce complexity in maintaining consistent security policies and visibility across diverse platforms.
- The rise of Generative AI (GenAI): While revolutionizing data utilization, GenAI also introduces new data privacy and security concerns, creating potential new threat vectors and data leak possibilities.
- Increasingly harsh and complex privacy regulations: Organizations face a growing web of stringent requirements for handling sensitive data, necessitating comprehensive data governance frameworks.
KuppingerCole also outlines security risks that data faces, including denial-of-service attacks, loss through human errors, insider threats, compromised user accounts, unpatched vulnerabilities, database-specific attacks like SQL injection, poor data lifecycle management, improper encryption key management, and insufficient monitoring and auditing.
An important takeaway from the report is the need for comprehensive solutions rather than isolated security tools. Instead of merely focusing on data storage, data security platforms must also address protecting data in motion and at rest while supporting compliance and risk management mandates.
Oracle’s leadership in data security
Oracle’s data security strategy is to embed security directly into its database core. As the report points out,
“Leveraging its longstanding expertise as a database provider, Oracle integrates advanced security features directly into its database core. This architecture minimizes performance impact while enhancing security, offering capabilities such as database encryption, data access control, dynamic data masking, privileged user control, privilege analysis, and an SQL firewall.
Beyond built-in controls, Oracle extends its data security capabilities through a suite of tools including Data Safe Cloud Service, Audit Vault and Database Firewall (AVDF), and Data Masking and Subsetting. These tools deliver a range of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) capabilities, such as risk assessment, policy-driven monitoring, threat detection, data discovery, and data masking.”
A notable advantage of Oracle’s security model is its seamless integration with its cloud ecosystem. The report praises Oracle’s ability to maintain consistent security policies across diverse data types and workloads, minimizing data movement and simplifying management.
Securing cloud databases
Oracle has several flavors of databases including Autonomous databases and Exadata database services on the cloud to meet specific requirements from the customers. This report further states:
“The Oracle Autonomous Database (ADB), the company’s flagship cloud database, integrates advanced security measures like always-on encryption, automated patching, and backups. It also includes Database Vault, Label Security, and Data Safe without additional licensing costs, delivering robust Data Security Platform capabilities. Similarly, Oracle’s Exadata Database Services offer these enterprise-class security features, combining DSPM and DSP functionalities within a unified solution.”
Meeting the AI challenge
The rise of Generative AI and agentic AI presents new data security challenges, particularly in managing automated SQL execution. Oracle addresses this with advanced features like Virtual Private Database (VPD) and Real Application Security (RAS), which apply granular access controls to specific rows and columns based upon the user submitting the prompt. This capability is particularly important as businesses increasingly rely on AI agents while safeguarding sensitive data.
A converged platform simplifies security and compliance
In the natural cycle of technology, special-purpose devices evolve, and their functions converge into flexible, multi-purpose devices. Oracle Database is a great example of this cycle – special-purpose databases (think vector, JSON, XML, NoSQL, Graph, Spatial) converge into a single data platform that can handle many different types of data and workloads.
As per this report, “Oracle’s converged database approach enforces consistent security policies across all data types and workloads. By reducing reliance on multiple specialized database engines, Oracle minimizes data movement and simplifies security administration, reducing management overhead and risk.” We agree that securing an enterprise at scale is much easier if there are fewer different types of databases to secure.
The road ahead
As data security continues to evolve, Oracle’s proactive approach helps ensure that enterprises can maintain robust security postures. By embedding security within its core systems and offering scalable, automated solutions, Oracle aims to set a benchmark for data security leadership.
You can dive into the full insights of the KuppingerCole report here: https://www.oracle.com/security/database-security/kuppingercole-database-security-platforms/
If you would like to explore Oracle’s database security further, go here, reach out to your account manager, or contact us via LinkedIn, X, or Facebook. We’re always happy to discuss how we can support your goals.