10 Benefits of Virtualization for Your Data Center

Since its emergence over two decades ago, virtualization has become industry-standard best practice in data centers from SMBs to the largest enterprises.  But what does virtualization mean in terms of business value? This post covers 10 benefits of virtualization for your data center. Benefits of Virtualization 101 The basic idea behind virtualization is to increase the […]

5 Database Security Risks You Probably Don’t Know You Have

I recently appeared on an episode of The Virtual CISO Podcast hosted by my friend John Verry titled “Confronting the Wild West of Database Security.” In our conversation, I emphasized that despite the criticality of the data involved, many companies fail to appreciate the cybersecurity risks associated with their databases. They simply don’t realize how […]

Database Patch News — August 2022

Welcome to Database Patch News, Buda Consulting’s newsletter of current patch information for Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. Here you’ll find information recently made available on patches—including security patches—and desupported versions.   Why should you care about patching vulnerabilities and bugs? Two big reasons: Unpatched systems are a top cyber attack target. Patch releases literally […]

Does an IT Service Provider Need Cyber Liability Insurance?

First a disclaimer: I am not an attorney, and I am not a cyber liability insurance expert. I am an insurance consumer. Anything I say here should be validated by your attorney, insurance agent, or other qualified professional before acting upon it. But this may help you start the conversation and understand the issues. As […]

How is Database Security NOT Like a Bank Vault?

As John Verry and I discussed in a recent virtual CISO podcast episode, many people think of database security as they think of bank vaults. They secure the perimeter, place the valuables in the vault (database), and then assume those valuables are as safe as if they are in the bank vault. How Database Security […]

A Focus on Oracle Container Databases

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Oracle 12c introduced a major architectural change called Oracle container databases, also known as Oracle multitenant architecture. With this change, an Oracle database can act as a multitenant container database (CDB). A CDB, in turn, can house zero or more pluggable databases (PDBs), each consisting of schemas and objects […]

SQL Server Is Better Than Ever – Blessing or Curse?

As SQL server became a world-class database system over the past two decades, setting a trap for many organizations.  Twenty years ago, mission-critical applications were generally only served by enterprise-level database systems (think Oracle and DB2) . SQL Server was reserved for less critical applications because it was not robust enough to handle the throughput, […]

Why Disaster Recovery Testing is Mission Critical

With cybercrime still on the rise, and remote work scenarios stressing IT infrastructures and security controls, every organization needs a disaster recovery (DR) plan to protect against data loss and quickly restore IT infrastructure and systems following a significant outage. But planning for disaster recovery is only the first step. You might think your plan […]

To Understand Risk, Ask Better Questions

The importance of asking the right questions Readers of my blog know that a common theme has been the importance of asking the right questions. Today I will illustrate this with a true and painful (literally) personal story that really drives the point home. The story will be about measuring risk vs reward and the […]

Cloud Storage Advantages and Disadvantages

Let’s talk cloud storage advantages and disadvantages for SMBs, especially those in regulated industries. Using cloud-based infrastructure for data storage and/or backup has become nearly universal. Estimates of how many businesses of all sizes are using cloud storage today range from 50% to over 90%. But cloud storage is not right for all types of data. […]