Andrew Lance | Founder and CEO, Sidechain Security
As the leading enterprise-class NoSQL database platform, Couchbase is relied upon by many of the world’s largest enterprises to power the core applications on which their businesses depend. The platform’s incredible scalability and overall speed and performance are first-rate. In addition, a critical part of the value Couchbase brings to customers centers on its security.
Couchbase partners with Thales to bring transparent encryption to secure on-disk data. Together, Couchbase and Thales offer you the flexibility to select best-of-breed solutions to meet your mission-critical scale and security requirements.
Costly Compliance Complexity
Security considerations are set against the backdrop of regulatory compliance. Privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and the CCPA demand that organizations protect their data. These regulations can be as prescriptive as requiring encryption or tokenization security (as in the case of PCI DSS) or as open as GDPR where the emphasis is on demonstrating data control. In either case, the financial and reputational ramifications of not complying with these rules are significant.
Patchwork national and regional data privacy rules mean that encryption has become table stakes for organizations that transact across borders. Driven by these regulations, data sovereignty is now an expectation for global operations. In turn, this collection of sovereignty requirements translates to complex, segmented architectures that make it difficult to keep data secure across geographies while simultaneously keeping it available for business use.
There’s no doubt that data is rapidly becoming the “crown jewel” asset for many organizations. Data is a core business enabler, differentiator, and is being used to drive strategy as never before. Businesses are increasingly choosing Couchbase as a scalable solution to drive intelligence and operational advantages with their data. But as the pressure from growing regulatory oversight increases, enterprises need a data protection solution for Couchbase that scales, provides rock-solid security, all without adding undue complexity.
Modernize Data Security for a Modern Database
Thales CipherTrust Transparent Encryption (CTE) is the proven data protection solution that delivers flexible, yet enterprise-class security for Couchbase data. CTE enables security leaders to implement necessary data protection and security controls without interfering in Couchbase operations. It also enables centralized management and reporting, to quickly address compliance needs and manage organizational data risk.
Couchbase has certified Thales CipherTrust Transparent Encryption to work with both Couchbase Server Enterprise and Community editions. Since it operates at the OS layer, CTE is transparent to the Couchbase database, meaning you do not need to modify your existing application architecture to implement security. CTE agents work in tandem with the Thales CipherTrust Manager enterprise key management platform for both key and policy administration. With this combination, you can seamlessly define and control which users have access to your sensitive data.
Once data is encrypted, it can securely travel from one location to another – even across borders – so long as you retain control of your encryption key. If a hacker gains access to the network or can poach an administrator’s credentials, encryption will continue to keep data safe even if it is stolen or exfiltrated. Additionally, encryption allows your organization to address its data sovereignty obligations by retaining encryption keys within the mandated region.
Fundamentally, encryption is about giving you control. It is a useful tool that allows your organization to demonstrate that you, and only you, know what is happening with your data.
Couchbase partners with Thales because of its position as the market leader for scalable, integrated, and centralized data protection. The Thales CipherTrust Data Security Platform provides one portfolio to enact and support a consistent data protection strategy across all facets of your business.
Combine CipherTrust and Couchbase with Confidence
No matter the scale of your enterprise application, having a clear picture of your current state of security is always the best first step. A security configuration review conducted by a data security expert can evaluate your organization’s ‘real risks’ and identify areas to improve. For example, it can uncover misconfigurations or hidden effects of existing settings, so that you can mitigate common exploits used by malicious actors to gain access to your data.
Once your organization has identified the risks to its data, it will need to choose data protection solutions that meet its goals and align with the organization’s business objectives. Historically, security has often been viewed as an obstacle, so it is important to review these risks in the context of the organization’s stated objectives.
With a plan in hand, it is time to get down to brass tacks and secure your data. Along with several benefits, Encryption also brings clear risks so it should not be implemented haphazardly. Having expert guidance for your organization's implementation can help avoid common, and occasionally irreparable, mistakes.
Once implemented, your organization must assume the overhead of managing deployment. While CipherTrust Manager can streamline security and reduce time spent managing encryption across the enterprise, it still requires time and attention.
The same experts with experience helping organizations implement their encryption are also well positioned to train operational teams to effectively manage these investments. Similarly, they will help developers effectively take advantage of their available security tools. Just as security requirements and threats are constantly evolving, so should an organization’s data protection strategy. With the right tools and guidance, staying ahead of bad actors does not have to be daunting.
Enterprise Data Security Expertise with Sidechain Security
Sidechain Security is a data security consulting firm with deep knowledge and experience with Couchbase and the Thales CipherTrust Data Security Portfolio. As a certified Thales partner, Sidechain specializes in solutions that safeguard your company’s most critical asset – your crown jewel data.
Coming from both the security and developer communities, Sidechain understands the complete application development lifecycle and how to balance data protection with common factors such as cost, performance, and scale.
To learn more about how Sidechain can help your business get started with Thales CipherTrust for Couchbase, try a no-cost 30-minute data security consultation with one of our Thales experts. You will get actionable insight on how best to secure your data within your Couchbase solution and the first steps towards a comprehensive data security strategy spanning your entire organization.