While many enterprises continue to build systems and strategies to protect
their relational databases, many organizations haven't done enough to secure the
information in the most common database format: the flat-file database, experts
say.
It's a dirty little secret of data protection" Most enterprises have
sensitive data stored in flat files and floating around the network. Many of
these files remain unencrypted and unprotected by the stringent controls that
are typically applied to relational databases.
"If you asked a group of IT people, 'Can you think of a flat-file database on
your network?,' most people would say, 'Yeah, they're all over the place,'" says
Rob Ayoub, global program director of network security for Frost & Sullivan. "But
ask, 'How do you protect that data?,' and you might not get an answer.
