Editorials

USB, Your Data, SQL Server and Security

Featured Article(s)
Changing from Non-IDENTITY to IDENTITY and vice versa
Changing a column data type from Non-IDENTITY to IDENTITY and vice versa.

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Do You Ever Scream At Articles?
I do. Occasionally. Once in a while (please don’t call the nice men in white coats quite yet).

One such occasion was quite recent – reading through the Costco magazine, they were talking to a consultant that suggests to his clients that they store their information on USB keys (or external USB drives) so they can take them with them and not leave them at the office. He actually started out saying how great USB-type devices can be for backing up your systems – great for storing that data, keeping it portable, etc.

But, then he came to realize – why not just store all of the data there natively? Why have to back it up to those devices, but instead just store it there? Heck, just backup to your local system when you want a backup of the USB device. Right.

So, now – all of your data – you know the working files, the things you have in native format, unencrypted I’m sure (you wouldn’t want to introduce any steps to keep you from your data) are nice a portable. At a time when we’re all looking for profiles to lock down USB key and device usage, here’s a consultant telling clients to do exactly that most dangerous of approaches data-wise, security-wise and control-wise.

I’m not really (really!) trying to hang this consultant out to dry, but I see this all the time – "it’s easier, so let’s just do it that way." I’m not sure how many more lost devices and "breaches" will be needed before people consider control over ease-of-use, even in smaller business situations.

Featured White Paper(s)
The Payment Card Industry Compliance – Securing both Merchant and Customer data
This white paper introduces the Payment Card Industry Compliance standard, and the security threats which brought about the n… (read more)

Migrate, Manage, Monitor: Top 10 Tips for a Successful Move to SQL Server 2005
Effective planning and management enables a smooth migration and ensures that your new SQL Server 2005 environment will be ru… (read more)