The name Oracle is synonymous with many business solutions but is known to introduce added complexity for IT professionals. See how decision-makers are shifting their focus toward success.
After several seasons of waiting to see what will happen in the ever-changing enterprise software space, large corporations are finding themselves at the end of their on-premise software lifecycle and ready to make a shift. Unfortunately, that could include a significant price tag for companies that will need a great deal of migration support, but it provides a real opportunity for change with this shift. Oracle is one of the key vendors that is repositioned as an influencer in the world of cloud-based business applications, but IT decision-makers are often wary of bringing a platform onboard that is known for a high level of complexity. Aligning their software and hardware decisions with cybersecurity is a critical requirement for success in the mind of more than 60% of today’s IT decision makers (ITDMs), with 46% of these individuals noting that Oracle platforms are notorious for the difficulty of completing security upgrades. As Oracle executives focus on the cloud to drive growth in the future, ITDMs need to know that there are support options available that can help them maintain a high degree of security in the future.
Download our latest case study on how we helped Enterprise IT with Oracle solutions.
Oracle’s cloud-based business applications are proving to be a compelling option for organizations that are moving from platforms such as SAPs HANA. With Oracle able to provide robust solutions that support much of an organization’s business infrastructure, they are able to offer new customers a near-irresistible alternative to introducing multiple platforms. Finding a single solution that is well-tailored to utilizing the same comprehensive database creates a powerful impetus for corporations that are already in the mode to make a change. Notes Oracle’s CEO Mark Hurd: “When the ERP buyer and the HCM buyer are aligned and combined, they are really in a position with no chance, because they don’t have much of a real financials product,” he said. “I know they hype it and they talk about it and all that, but at the end of the day, they’re just not competitive.”
It’s no secret that Oracle has been struggling in recent years as its cloud-based applications attempted to gain a foothold in the market dominated by SAP, Epicor, and Microsoft — to name a few. Oracle’s human capital management (HCM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions are well-known but have often been installed on-premise and may not have been upgraded due to complexities associated with the interconnected nature of other systems. This can cause technology teams to balance on the fine point of a pen, swaying back and forth between timely patching and updates and the potential of a serious malfunction of their entire enterprise systems due to a bug introduced during an upgrade. A shift to cloud-based Oracle solutions may provide a more fluid option for applying necessary security updates.
While Oracle’s communications team claims that they have “leaped to the pole position” in terms of cloud applications, IT decision-makers are still quoting significant challenges with complexity and upgrades. Creating a secure environment requires constant vigilance and a unified commitment to excellence from partners and internal IT staff alike. See how the professionals at SoftArt Solutions can leverage over 15 years of experience supporting enterprise Oracle-based solutions to understand and support the unique needs of your business. Contact our team of Oracle experts at 866-477-4435 for more information or schedule your complimentary initial consultation online with our quick form.
With SoftArt Solutions, you can get help deploying reliable data security solutions. We are a New Jersey-based Oracle consulting company that services the entire United States. Contact us today to discuss all your Oracle Database needs.
Following attacks on MongoDB and MySQL databases that were misconfigured and other cyberattacks in the headlines, IT professionals have learned to follow Oracle Database security best practices. Some of these practices don’t require technical expertise, just some judicious thinking.
Here are the top Oracle Database security best practices to keep in mind when you plan, configure and use your system.
1. Get Rid of Default Passwords
Don’t use passwords that hackers can guess. Otherwise, none of your other security efforts matter much.
2. Update and Patch
Maintain the latest version of the database management system. Developers are constantly improving Oracle Database and making it safer. The timetable of Critical Patch Updates is available here.
3. Manage Passwords
Verify the complexity of your passwords with the password verification function. The script is disable by default, but you can enable it with the following script when logged in as an administrator:
run the script.CONNECT SYS/AS SYSDBA
Enter password: password @$ORACLE_HOME/RDBMS/ADMIN/utlpwdmg.sql
4. Change Default Audit Settings
The Unified Audit Data Trail combines SYS.AUD$, SYS.FGA_LOG$, and DVSYS.AUDIT_TRAIL$ for the database audit trail, for fine-grained auditing, for Oracle Database Vault, and Oracle Label Security, respectively.
5. Manage Sensitive Data
Personal information, proprietary information, intellectual property, and protected health information must be handled with special care.
Oracle Database uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt data. The encryption key can be found in the data dictionary but gets encrypted using another master key. You can encrypt an entire tablespace or individual columns.
The Oracle database has three forms of security:
Authentication keeps out non-legitimate users and authorization limits access to resources to permitted users. Finally, auditing documents when users access sensitive resources for accountability. These mechanisms protect data stored in your database, but they don’t protect the operating system files themselves.
Oracle Databases are attractive targets for cybercriminals. They contain high-value data that thieves would love to get their hands on. Infiltration of a single Oracle Database would result in millions of compromised records. Database security governs user actions on the database. Schemas and security domains restrict the use of database resources.
There are security tools to protect your valuable data, including:
With SoftArt Solutions, you can get help deploying reliable data security solutions. We are a New Jersey-based Oracle consulting company that services the entire United States. Contact us today to discuss all your Oracle Database needs.
Migrating your systems, regardless of your organization’s size, is a major undertaking. Do you have the necessary expertise and experience to properly manage a migration?
One of SoftArt Solutions’ clients, operating in the public utility space, recently needed additional support with a major project.
The client wanted to migrate their data and applications from physical servers to virtual machines. Their physical servers were running on Solaris, and the new virtual machines would run Linux. Specifically, the new machines would be based on the industry-leading Red Hat Linux operating system.
They didn’t have the manpower internally to handle the project, and in their remote setting, they didn’t have access to onsite technical teams needed. Fortunately, they have been a client of SoftArt Solutions for some time, and our team has the skills and experience necessary to handle the project.
“We’ve had experience doing this type of migration before and the client trusted our expertise based on all the other projects that were successful,” said Chris Zicker, Director of Business Development & Sales for SoftArt Solutions.
Any successful migration process takes careful planning in order to minimize the necessary downtime, as well as to mitigate any unforeseen issues. The SoftArt Solutions team planned for some time in advance to determine what it would take to migrate the client’s data and apps without any unnecessary delays.
“When you do multiple iterations, the first iteration is just how we get from point A to point Z,” said Chris. “Then it’s a timing run, how long does each patch and backup takes, in a real scenario, and then we know for a go-live weekend, that we need 20 hours of downtime”.
Over the course of those 20 hours, SoftArt Solutions’ team carefully executed the migration, including the following key steps:
Migration is a complicated process – in the course of general steps listed above, the SoftArt Solutions team had to execute a number of critical technical steps as well. From running patches to creating a working directory, there’s a lot involved in migration, and not a single step can be overlooked.
Over the course of a single weekend, the SoftArt Solutions team successfully moved the clients’ data and applications to Oracle EBS 12c. This new platform offers best-in-class reliability and functionality, which will meet the clients’ needs until they begin their migration to the newer Oracle 19c for 2022.
In addition to this project, SoftArt Solutions delivers a range of ongoing managed Oracle support services. Our team provides database support, patching systems as need be, converting other data from different platforms to Oracle EBS, and whatever other Oracle-based tasks the client may have.
If you’re looking for Oracle expertise, whether for a migration like this, or general Database Administration, SoftArt Solutions is here to help.
New Jersey-based SoftArt Solutions is an experienced Oracle consulting company serving businesses throughout the United States. Contact us for help with the implementation and maintenance of Oracle technologies, including ports to open in firewall for Oracle Application Server.
Firewalls protect your device from viruses and malware on the internet. This includes unauthorized traffic from the web and local applications seeking access where they don’t belong. For times when you want to allow certain traffic through, you have to open a port.
Devices connecting through the network specify a port that the receiving device uses to route the traffic. While an IP address indicates how to access a particular device, the port number tells the receiving device which program receives the traffic. Typically, your network firewall blocks unsolicited traffic. If you’re running the Oracle Application Server, you have to open the correct port to enable the traffic to flow through the firewall.
In order to install Oracle Application Server behind firewalls, open the appropriate ports in the firewall when you install the software, as well as during runtime. For the installation of Middle Tiers and Identity Management elements, remember that you also need access to:
The middle tier includes the Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE, OracleAS Web Cache, Oracle HTTP Server, and other OAS components.
While installing middle tiers or Oracle identity manager, you access several layers — Oracle Notification Server, OracleAS Web Cache, Oracle Internet Directory, and OracleAS Metadata Repository. It’s important to open the correct ports for each of these components, as follows:
For a diagram of the port configuration, click here.
This site has mapping and instruction notes.
New Jersey-based SoftArt Solutions is an experienced Oracle consulting company serving businesses throughout the United States. Contact us for help with the implementation and maintenance of Oracle technologies, including ports to open in firewall for Oracle Application Server.
Contact SoftArt Solutions today to discuss how to tighten up security for your Oracle Database and other systems essential to your financial services company.
Oracle empowers financial services organizations such as corporate banking, retail banking, and the insurance industry by providing analytical tools for business operations and regulatory compliance. However, you may be wondering how secure your data is. SoftArt Solutions is a trusted Oracle partner, and we can help you ensure that your Oracle Database and network safeguards are protecting your sensitive data. This article covers areas to pay the most attention to and Oracle Database security options that are important for financial services firms.
Financial services industries collect and contain a lot of personal information from clients and sensitive company data. To protect customers and your organization, ensure that your managed service provider is taking these essential security steps:
To enhance Oracle SQL security and reduce vulnerabilities, it’s important to stay on top of the activity on your database. SQL has native tools that can audit and track failed logins. This option is enabled with written scripts and exported records that can be viewed in Excel, which can be a time-consuming task. There’s a better way to do this.
If your budget constraints aren’t too tight, you can invest in Oracle database security options such as Oracle Audit Vault or Advanced Security. These tools do not deliver security solutions for your entire IT environment. Oracle Audit Vault gathers audit details from remote databases but doesn’t show you a unified trail of security-related activity. If an attacker attempts to compromise other systems, it’s not as transparent. Advanced Security encrypts your data but doesn’t cover every aspect of cybersecurity needed to protect your network.
A comprehensive security solution covers many bases. SoftArt Solutions implements security tools that detect suspicious activity and also simplify your cybersecurity strategy at an affordable cost.
SoftArt Solutions consultants can optimize the Oracle environment and IT Infrastructure at your financial services company. Let us supervise activity across Oracle database and every other system that touches your network. This is important because attacks can come from any direction. For example, a hacker might first gain access to the network, sneak into your database, and take over your system passwords so that you can be locked out of your network.
To prevent this, SoftArt Solutions engineers monitor your systems and keep you up to date on unauthorized access attempts. We can provide a comprehensive look at suspicious logins, changes in permissions to data or database objects another unusual activity that suggests you need to harden your data security.
Reach SoftArt Solutions today to discuss how to tighten up security for your Oracle Database and other systems essential to your financial services company.
Contact SoftArt Solution to find out how we can help you reap the benefits of Oracle Database Security.
SoftArt Solutions partners with Oracle to provide databases with robust security capabilities built right into the tool. It takes experience and expertise to implement and maintain these features effectively. Let us show you how this can protect your company from the reputational and financial ramifications of a data breach.
Sensitive information, including employee salaries and personal information, must be kept confidential. Access to this data should be on a need-to-know basis with very tight controls. DBMS Databases security and authorization systems are designed to prevent unauthorized access with robust capabilities that can segregate users by roles and groups.
The various types and layers of information security control protect databases. These include:
Database security protects your company’s databases and sensitive information. Software solutions verify authorization and prevent unauthorized users from hacking into your IT network to distribute viruses and other malware they compromise your data.
Here are just a few examples of features that demonstrate Oracle’s commitment to security:
Security is baked into Oracle tools on multiple levels. SoftArt Solutions provides security assessments to help you find personal and sensitive data in your database and assess whether the configuration adequately protects your company from ransomware. You can take advantage of Oracle’s auditing and monitoring functions. Centralized information and a built-in audit management repository give database owners a convenient way to collect, report and analyze risky or suspicious activities.
With Oracle’s data encryption and redaction, your Oracle database is always protected. Key storage and management handle regulatory and management requirements for a company managing several keys and wallets. Through data masking, Oracle contains security risk by substituting realistic looking artificial data in development and test environments.
Data access control mitigates the most common database attacks, which are compromised administrator accounts and stolen application-level accounts. With Oracle Database security, strong separation of duties exists between data management and database administration. Additionally, multifactor authentication supports strong control policies for individual security.
SoftArt Solutions can implement Oracle database features that use authorization, authentication, and auditing to reduce vulnerabilities in the Oracle database. To protect the operating system files where data is stored, Transparent Data Encryption encrypts sensitive data.
Well-implemented database security blocks ransomware and firewall attack to keep your sensitive data far from prying eyes. Contact SoftArt Solution to find out how we can help you reap the benefits of Oracle Database Security.
Many Oracle products are centered around the financial services industry. For example, the Oracle Financial Services Anti Money Laundering (AML) Express Edition Aims to protect small to midsize banks. It simplifies the process of identifying, reporting and catching money laundering criminals financing terrorist activity and meeting ever-changing regulations and guidelines.
SoftArt Solutions is an Oracle partner helping financial institutions protect and sustain their sensitive data while delivering bleeding-edge technology to help banks compete with the onslaught of digital competitors.
By amping up your CRM and back-office reporting capability, Oracle products help you meet the transfer and payment services demands of online clients — without sacrificing security.
When you install Oracle, the Oracle universal installer matches port numbers to components using a set of defaults. To facilitate this process and to avoid errors during installation, administrators need to know the port numbers used by the installer. Otherwise, you may inadvertently use the same port number for two services.
When port numbers are assigned during an Oracle installation, each service and component has a port range assigned to it. Oracle Database tries to use numbers in this range to assign a port. It starts with the lowest range number and then checks for the following:
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, Oracle Database goes to the next highest port in the range until it finds one that’s free.
The Oracle database component port number can be found in the component used when configuring the port. Also, you can find some ports listed in the portlist.ini file within $ORACLE_HOME/install directory.
Once you update a port number, it’s not updated within the portlist.ini file. So, that source is only reliable immediately after the installation is complete.
Oracle’s documentation is the best source for identifying these ports, which can be found in the information related to ports needed to connect net application to Oracle Database.
If you need help completing this task, contact SoftArt Solutions experts today. Financial institutions rely on our consultants for flawless implementation and maintenance. We also offer support on other Oracle products to help you ensure that your customers have online access to their funds at all times. Fast, comprehensive online support and services are what will distinguish your financial institution from both brick-and-mortar and digital competitors. Let us be part of your solution to satisfy your digital native customers.
If you need help completing this task, contact SoftArt Solutions experts today. Financial institutions rely on our consultants for flawless implementation and maintenance. We also offer support on other Oracle products to help you ensure that your customers have online access to their funds at all times.
SoftArt Solutions is an experienced Oracle consulting company that serves clients across the United States. Contact us with any questions you have on how to size an Oracle database or perform patching on your Oracle Database.
To size an Oracle database you can estimate a current database of similar size as the one you will need in your new application. You can also use capacity planning to find out how much space you will need for a new Oracle database.
Database size is the physical space that files consume on the disk. For current databases, you can use the following command to retrieve the size. However, that doesn’t mean that all of this space is allocated as there can be sections of the files that are not used.
select sum(bytes)/1024/1024 size_in_mb from dba_data_files;
For this exercise, you will need a capacity planning spreadsheet.
Oracle database sizing estimates can be based on the sizes of the objects stored in various segments of related tablespaces.
To do this, you must first calculate the indexes and table sizes. In the Oracle DBA manual, there’s a section on sizing procedures so that a DBA can calculate a new database size manually four indexes and tables. However, we suggest that you download this spreadsheet which greatly simplifies the process.
This spreadsheet requires an input of table column sizes for date, character and number data types. You also need to input specifics about table items like percent free in a block, initial transactions and the number of rows. Also, the block size must be specified. If a table is clustered, that also impacts the size estimate.
The index DB spreadsheet only requires size inputs for the following items:
For non-unique indexes, answer the estimated percentage of time they will contain data.
When you use the same spreadsheet to calculate Oracle database sizes, you can ensure that it’s a repeatable process. This gives you an idea of how accurate your estimation is for future projects and helps eliminate the possibility of mistakes in manual calculations.
Whether you use this spreadsheet or develop your own, by the second or third time you use it, you should be getting relatively accurate estimates for your particular system.
Once you’ve calculated the index and table sizes for the first year, add the total sizes together for all objects. This is a good working total for the first year’s growth, and you can double it to provide a two-year estimate.
Keep in mind that estimated sizes too large for a single file will require additional data files. Base your estimates on the constraints of the operating system or available space. Multiple data files may extend the size estimate for a particular tablespace.
SoftArt Solutions is an experienced Oracle consulting company that serves clients across the United States. Contact us with any questions you have on how to size an Oracle database or perform patching on your Oracle Database.
SoftArt Solutions is a Top Oracle consulting company. We also take the time to get to know your business. Contact us today to discuss your Oracle EBS and Database needs.
When looking for the top Oracle consulting company, make sure that you choose one that can handle Oracle implementations, upgrades, and maintenance. IT consulting companies like SoftArt Solutions are Oracle partners with consultants who are experts in various facets or Oracle ERP and Database functions.
The first factor to consider is expertise in the form of years of experience and breadth of knowledge. One of the great things about partnering with a managed service provider is access to a deep pool of IT talent. SoftArt Solutions consultants typically have many years, even decades, of experience, and we can call upon professionals from network engineering, to cybersecurity to application development.
Choose a consulting company that has:
The agreement you sign should include a roadmap of goals that keeps every on the same page. Clear communication and accountability are key in any relationship, so make sure everyone knows the game plan. A proactive top Oracle consulting company begins with an assessment of your current environment. Whether you’re implementing Oracle for the first time or expanding your company’s Oracle suite, work with your IT consulting firm to draft up a current and future state for your Oracle ecosystem.
Having this written down helps keep the project focused, on time and within budget.
A top Oracle consulting company has a single point of contact or number to call when you need assistance fast. Narrow your list of potential consulting firms to ones with a clear service level agreements and great customer service. Choose a company like SoftArt Solutions, which offers end-to-end solutions, including implementation and maintenance management.
Choose a provider with the full spectrum of Oracle services, such as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
Here are some of the comprehensive services offered by SoftArt Solutions:
Compile a list of your top options for Oracle consultants. There are a few tips that can help you streamline your selection:
SoftArt Solutions can provide references and qualifications for the consultants sent your way. We also take the time to get to know your business. How else can we provide successful solutions to your most pressing operational needs? Contact us today to discuss your Oracle EBS and Database needs.
Contact SoftArt Solutions today to stay up to date with Oracle Database updates. We use OPatch Utility and other tools to apply the patches needed.
Maintaining patch compliance helps ensure performance and security in your Oracle system. Most companies experience some sort of database sprawl, which requires a number of patches every time an update is released. This makes the patching process manual and time-consuming. SoftArt Solutions offers efficient maintenance for your databases and proactively suggests ways to organize your data for maximum efficiency.
Keeping your databases compliant includes understanding current patch levels, testing and updating the servers and tracking needed security and enhancement patches. This often turns into a full-time job that bogs down internal resources. Let us solve this problem for you.
OPatch is a utility that facilitates the application of patch impacting Oracle’s software; it also can roll back interim patches if there’s an issue. This Java-based utility works in conjunction with OPatchauto, which produces patching instructions for your configuration and then runs OPatch to automate the patching process.
Use OPatchAuto to:
Here are the various types of Oracle patches:
Sometimes, behavior changes occur following patches and upgrades. It impacts your data in the following ways:
We carefully research the included fixes and enhancements for the benefit versus risk of installing the latest patches.
Using the OPatch Utility, you can also download Oracle ASM, or one-off, patches to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure.
Individual patches are referred to as one-offs. They’re available for each Oracle ASM release. SoftArt Solutions downloads patches as needed through the OPatch Utility. OPatch tracks your patches with your current Oracle ASM version. Before installing new patches, OPatch Utility checks for conflicts and sends you notifications and warnings, if applicable.
Contact SoftArt Solutions today to stay up to date with Oracle Database updates. We use OPatch Utility and other tools to apply the patches needed.