BlueTalon: Deploying Controls Closer to the Data

Data is one of the most valuable assets of a business organization, and so is its security a vital need. Cloud and other Big Data initiatives make it easier and affordable for companies to store and effectively manage huge data sets. And the technology that safeguards this data too is plenty these days. But, will the ever-growing size and complexity of the data compromise the security measures undertaken? Are users given accesses to too much data than they normally should be having? If yes, then, will stealing a single valid user credential help gain entry into an enterprise database and uncovering sensitive information?

Perimeter security is security which is not continuous. Perimeter security is a “breakable wall” that safeguards data only when intact. Once the perimeter wall of any enterprise data system or of any network has been broken, there’s really nothing that could stop a hacker with valid credentials from accessing the system for sensitive data. The role of perimeter security ends with its demolition and fails to even detect or notify authorities of a breach. This triggered a need to go beyond perimeter security.

BlueTalon comes to the rescue with their highly convincing Data-centric security solution. Data-centric security is an extra line of defense; it is the second layer of protection to the perimeter security wall. By focusing on securing the data itself, data-centric security enables organizations to safely manage their data resources, stay in control of the most sensitive data and give users access to the only data they need. Data-centric security also improves visibility allowing organizations to keep track of the data usage and by whom. The BlueTalon solution additionally delivers auditing capabilities and ensures if the data is compliant with industry regulations.

BlueTalon is the only provider in the industry which exclusively offers data-centric security. Their Policy Engine easily enforces policies and user access controls across the organization regardless of the type of data repositories or applications in use. The solution is sleek and complete with a data usage auditing facility as well. Also, notably, with their approach towards security, companies also gain flexibility in the deployment and management of new data resources.

It’s all about the Data: BlueTalon’s Data-Centric Security Approach

Data-centric security starts with perimeter security measures like the user access controls. BlueTalon’s solution allows organizations to define the most comprehensive and thorough set of policies that are needed to authorize business users and developers to gain access to the only ‘data they need’. The BlueTalon Policy Engine delivers the most fine-grained control and sturdy protection over data. Dynamic Data Masking and Stealth Analytics further protect sensitive data.

BlueTalon’s Policy Engine helps enforce an identical and consistent set of data access rules across a wide range of users or enterprise databases or applications simultaneously. And finally, BlueTalon with its auditing functionality helps organizations keep track of the user activities on the data they are given access to.

BlueTalon’s Different Architecture – Centralized Policies, Distributed Enforcement

Deploying user access controls at the network/application layer, or security controls embedded within the application code itself, is a perfectly viable solution for monolithic transactional applications. However, with big data projects, it leaves vulnerable security gaps. The big data project model uses hybrid deployment environments and a data storage that is isolated from user access controls. Implementing security singly to different components in an enterprise system will lead to a chaotic security deployment. This may lead to inconsistent data policies and user access controls, weak security with minimal or zero protection for some systems, rigidity, and various other problems.

BlueTalon, in response to the above pitfall, takes a different approach to the architecture of its data-centric security platform. BlueTalon’s solution separates the management of policies from the enforcement of the same, on various repositories. This way, the BlueTalon model eliminates the today’s problem of siloed security policies and replaces it with scalable security that can be implemented across a huge and wide variety of data repositories.

Benefits of implementing the BlueTalon system are that the policies are defined only once, stored centrally, and controls deployed directly across the whole enterprise system regardless of the type and nature of applications.

The CEO of the Next-Gen Data Security Solution

Eric W. Tilenius, the CEO at BlueTalon, is a passionate and seasoned technology executive who has led multiple startups to successful IPOs. The degree holder from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, prior to BlueTalon, was Executive-in-Residence and General Manager at Scale Venture Partners and Zynga respectively. He was an active investor and founder of three companies, all of which had successful exits. Eric is passionate about security issues and has helped clients such as VISA, American Express, AOL, and American Airlines implement secure technology solutions. Eric has also held leadership positions at Oracle, Mayfield, and Bain. He and his dream team at BlueTalon build products and solutions that are capable of revolutionizing the data security world.

“We empower users to access and benefit from the data that they are entitled to, based on their function in the enterprise, while maintaining enterprise-level security that reduces the risk of being breached.”

“BlueTalon keeps enterprises in control of their data by allowing them to give users access to the data they need, not a byte more.”

“By enforcing consistent policies with BlueTalon, you can ensure that users have access to all the data they need to drive key decisions without compromising compliance or security.”