Oracle ERP helps to establish effective best practices that work to keep your sensitive information as secure as possible.
When it comes to cloud ERP and security best practices, you need to be on top of your game. Not managing your system properly can lead to data breaches and break downs that damage both your files as well as your reputation. Establishing best practices and security protocols prevents sensitive information from being stolen and used inappropriately. It will protect your reputation and allow your business to maintain its image as a leader in its field.
Allowing ERP providers to immediately install software updates and patches once they are identified is one of the most effective ways to keep your company’s sensitive information secure and protected. In the past, updates were sporadic at best, but now company’s have the option of installing them on their own or allowing ERP provides immediate access to install them as they become available.
With advancements in technology, it’s important that everyone in the company or organization be responsible for maintaining security protocols and best practices. With more people having access to sensitive information, it’s essential that they also be responsible for security protocols to ensure every step of the process is protected. With everyone having access to the right security protocols, the risk of a data breach is dramatically reduced.
Even though customization is limited, Cloud ERP allows you to be more flexible when it comes to integrating several applications. This gives you an opportunity to build one, unified system in which you can secure information as it passes from one application to another. Cloud ERP reduces your overall vulnerability and strengthens encryptions so that it is harder for hackers to break in and damage your system.
IoT devices make other devices connected to the internet more vulnerable to cyberattacks. By installing a platform that manages the connections between IoT and other internet-enabled devices, you can further secure your information, limiting a hacker’s ability to gain access. Integrating both IoT and Cloud ERP adds a layer of security that protects your information as it travels from one destination to another, no matter what device is connected.
It’s essential that you are able to restore your system if a breach does occur. Evaluating your disaster recovery services is essential if you want to ensure that you are fully protected if some type of loss occurs. You must have a Recovery Point in place as well as a pre-determined Recovery Time. Your recovery time will set the amount of time an application can be inactive before permanent damage occurs. The Recovery Point determines what information has been properly backed up and secured. This will set your “loss tolerance”.
When using an Oracle ERP, it’s essential that you be able to access your system on a global level. It’s also essential that you maintain direct control of who has access to your system and to what degree. When a centralized system is used, you are able to manage who has the security protocols to gain access. Individuals who are not authorized will have minimal if any, access. This protects your important data and minimizes the threat of a breach. Security protocols are put in place according to the individual’s need to know. Having authentication protocols in place will allow you to maintain access to your system from anywhere in the world, while still offering the highest level of security.
Your security best practices should be able to protect all aspects of your data, including your cloud ERP, IoT, and other systems that are connected by the internet. Understanding how cyberattacks occur and how hackers gain access to your information is important if you truly want to understand how to maintain a high level of security. Having this information also allows you to fine-tune your system and establish protocols that continue to work as long as the information moves from one destination to another.
Take the guesswork out of your next Oracle Cloud migration with these useful guidelines. Learn how to smoothly transition your onsite Oracle database.
Migrating an Oracle database instance over to Oracle Cloud does not have to be an arduous undertaking as a DBA. The key to getting things right is following some Oracle migration best practices when it comes to moving your information. You can solve 70 percent of your problems by thinking through your challenges beforehand. Laying things out at the start helps you pick the correct Oracle Cloud migration method for your business scenario.
Look at the characteristics of your current Oracle database and make sure they match up to your Cloud destination settings.
Other important considerations for Oracle migration best practices include:
Go through the different connection options available for your Oracle Cloud migration, including FastConnect, VPN Connect, and Internet Gateway. Understanding how they work helps you in securing your Oracle Cloud database instance and preventing data corruption.
Let’s go over the various migration options available as you consider Oracle migration best practices.
The Data Pump Import/Export Transportable Method
The traditional import/export data pump method allows for high-speed movement of data and metadata from your current Oracle cloud database to the cloud. It provides many features, including the ability to import and export over a network, restart jobs as needed, and estimate the space required for export before performing the task.
One of the benefits of using the traditional data pump import/export is that it works regardless of your current endian format and database character set. However, it’s slower than some of the other transport processes.
Using Transportable Tablespaces
Oracle made transportable tablespaces available in 8i instances and higher. You can use them to help with migrations across different OS platforms. The only steps necessary are moving the datafile and associated metadata. Oracle instances of 9i or higher do not have to be of the same block size as your destination Cloud database.
If the Endian format of your current Oracle instances matches that of your cloud database, then you can proceed without performing a conversion. The transportable tablespace method is best when you have a little-endian Oracle database instance with a comparable Oracle Cloud database.
The Backup Service Method
The latest version of Oracle Cloud provides a database backup service for creating and backing up cloud database from your on-site instances with one click. You can use the service for different scenarios like disaster recovery and creating development and test environments using your production backup.
The Multitenant Feature
The rollout of Oracle 12c gave organizations access to the multitenant architecture for their databases. Multiple oracle instances could be grouped into a single multitenant container database. That made it easier for DBAs to patch, upgrade, and manage all databases as one unit.
Oracle Cloud takes advantage of the multitenant feature by allowing DBAs to move their local pluggable database (PDB) straight into Oracle Cloud from Oracle SQL Developer. The only requirement is that the PDB and Oracle SQL Developer be in the same instance. It’s also great for seamlessly moving development and test instances of a database directly to the cloud.
Make sure you implement proper protocol during and after your data migration. There should be authentication around user access to any database instances using strong passwords.
Additional Security Protections
Following these Oracle migration best practices should allow for streamlined configuration and monitoring of your new cloud databases. It should be the same as working with an onsite Oracle database instance. Contact SoftArt for more tips on working with Oracle Cloud.
SoftArt Solutions is an Oracle Database consulting firm. Our IT professionals stay on top of the latest Oracle Database innovations so that we can help our clients implement them efficiently.
If your company is an Oracle shop, you probably have seen vast changes in the software. Going back to 2004, the traditional DBA tasks included manually applying patches, fine-tuning queries, and stored procedures and replicating changes across many environments. Not all of the innovations you’ll see in 2020 are brand new. The company has been revamping its look and functionality for over a decade.
Now, all Oracle access comes via Internet Appliances, based on access architecture similar to the 1970s when dumb terminals displayed data from central mainframes, where all the brainwork happened. Of course, high-speed networks transmit data with lightning speed from a master location to your monitor. Spreadsheets, word processing, and databases are increasingly accessed via virtual space.
Thanks to the reliability of cloud computing, more and more companies are deciding to forego their servers and on-premise data management. This disruptive model can save your company millions of dollars over time. Vendors can instantly transmit patches and upgrades with zero downtime. Also, it eliminates software piracy as updates are made real-time without impacting virtual users.
Depending on how old your Oracle ecosystem is, you may be using different versions of SQL. Starting with SQL-09, the query language became greatly simplified from previous versions. The familiar FROM and GROUP BY clauses became a thing of the past and SQL-09 added features to support artificial intelligence and natural language programming when pulling data from Oracle databases.
Oracle’s cost-based SQL optimizer (CBO) is an ingenious tool that evaluates the efficiency of every query. The CBO is one of the most sophisticated software components ever created. After it evaluates the SQL statement, it generates the best possible execution plan.
You will also find that all Oracle modules can be accessed on the Web. A single copy of the software’s executable is directly accessed from Oracle’s data center in Redwood Shores. This ensures one source when it comes to the official copies of hundreds of programs.
Solid-State Oracle Database
Oracle introduced disk-less databases in 2015 with its 16ss release. With the innovation of solid-state architecture, SGA RAM disappeared. A new scheme emerged that managed locks and latches within data blocks. This made it possible to access all data in nanoseconds, without caching it first. In fact, 16ss could process a million transactions per second; it was the first commercial database to do so.
Oracle 17-3d added a temporal dimension. This lets the company resurrect the flashback function, which lets users view Oracle databases as dynamic objects. Changes to a database are available in real-time.
SoftArt Solutions is an Oracle Database consulting firm. Our IT professionals stay on top of the latest Oracle 2020 innovations so that we can help our clients implement them efficiently. Contact us today to set up an initial evaluation of your system.
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.