How Secure is your Unstructured Data?
Before you answer, think of the different document formats held by your enterprise. Then consider that 80% of data stored by enterprises is unstructured and unprotected.
What is UMask?
The Benefits of UMask
Mask over 70 different file types
Mask with pseudonymous data
Ensure masking consistency
Replace sensitive data with fictitious data
Retain referential integrity
Reduce masked data files sizes
UMask
Why Choose UMask?
Develop confidently
Mask consistently
Improve efficiency
FAQ’s
What is the difference between structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data?
Structured data is typically identified as coming from a relational database, where the data is arranged in specific rows and columns inside a table.
Semi-structured data will usually be in a loose arrangement. The data might be arranged in rows, but could have different column lengths. It might contain tags or elements to identify the fields.
Unstructured data is just that — data with no defined grouping. This is sometimes referred to as ‘free-form text’. Common file types include DOCX, JPG, and PDF.
Why should I protect my data?
In general, there are two main reasons to mask and protect your enterprise data:
1. Regulations and compliance: Heavy fines and penalties may be applied if you fail an audit or don’t comply with a regulation. A security breach or incident does not need to occur if it is discovered that you are out of compliance. Apart from financial costs, brand and company reputation can also be negatively affected. Laws, rules, and regulations are only going to tighten, so protecting your data will not only help to prevent data loss but potentially mitigate non-compliance to any applicable regulatory requirements.
2. Data breach or incident: A data breach could occur when someone either deliberately or inadvertently steals or releases data outside an organization. An example is when a contractor has their laptop stolen, which could contain sensitive production data loaded into a spreadsheet for analysis. This information can have immense value and is often sold for value or shared to help negatively affect an organization's reputation.
What data sources does UMask support?
Although UMask’s primary focus is to mask sensitive data contained within unstructured and semi-structured files and repositories — it can also mask data in structured databases as well.
Structured: DB2, Oracle, and SQL Server fields can be masked. These can be BLOB, CLOB, XML, or free form text fields. Other databases that leverage JDBC/ODBC connectivity can also be masked. And for databases not directly supported, UMask can even leverage the database systems’ unload/export utilities.
Semi-structured and Unstructured: UMask works with a multitude of types of files. Any text-based files, such as JSON, XML, and CSV, can be masked. It can also mask Microsoft Office documents, PDF, and image files (e.g. JPG).
What platforms does UMask support?
UMask supports Windows and Linux operating systems. Versions 2.8.0.3 and earlier are native to Windows as they leverage ‘Dot Net’ technology. Newer versions support Linux and Mainframe USS systems.
How does UMask scale?
UMask can easily scale up and out. By adding more memory and/or CPU power, the overall performance can be enhanced. Another solution is to simply add another server device to provide better scalability.
Can UMask do consistent masking?
Yes. Depending upon the masking rule applied, UMask can replace like-for-like values. For example, it can replace a valid VISA card number with another card number, and a valid U.S. address with another valid U.S. address. Applying the same masking rule will ensure the new masked value is consistent regardless of where it resides.
How long does it take to implement? Where do we start?
UMask takes minutes to install. Depending on the requirements, implementation takes between a few days to several weeks. Each project is delivered in phases which typically include: discovery and analysis, connectivity setup, building masking rules, and final execution.
How does UMask know what to mask?
UMask is a rules-driven application. Rules are created to identify where the data is and what the new value would be. UMask leverages advanced regular expression pattern matching alongside customized routines to discover and mask the data.
How does UMask discover data?
By implementing pre-defined rules, UMask searches for patterns which match those defined by the rules. Once the pattern is identified, the applicable data masking rule will be executed. UMask can even remediate discovered data from third-party partner solutions such as BigID.
Can UMask access cloud storage?
Yes. UMask has been tested and certified for numerous cloud storage solutions including: S3 Cloud storage, Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive and Box.
Can UMask integrate with my existing structured data masking process?
If you’re already using products like IBM InfoSphere Optim Data Privacy, UMask can perform the same data masking routines. This helps to ensure a consistent data masking value for all types of data.
What’s the difference between redaction, masking, and encryption?
Redaction is simply the replacement of the data pattern found with X’s or the word ‘REDACTED’. Different redaction values can also be used.
Masking is considered an intelligent replacement of data. Using this type of process replaces sensitive data with realistic looking alternatives, which satisfy the regulatory requirements.
Encryption is a process where specialized algorithms are executed on data, transforming it to a series of numbers. While this is very secure, it sometimes renders the data unusable in the original application.
What is obfuscation, anonymization, de-identification?
These three terms are often used interchangeably. They essentially mean the process of altering a source data element with another value in order to render the data non-sensitive.
Can UMask do dynamic masking?
Yes. Dynamic Data Masking is managed through user permissions.
Interested in UMask?
