Grid-Tools

Intelligent Decisions opens up a dialog about data security

Posted on28. Apr, 2011 by The Grid-Tools Team.

It’s time to ask the question: has your company started investigating its data security programs? Harry Martin, President and CEO of Intelligent Decisions, was recently published in the New York Times addressing just this. He explains the significant fines associated with not complying with industry standards like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) [...]

Continue Reading

Why Encryption Is Not Data Masking

Posted on29. Mar, 2011 by Llyr Jones.

The short answer is: because they’re two completely different beasts which were developed for two completely different purposes. The whole point of encryption is so that the intended recipient(s) can recover the original data while being inpenetrable to unauthorised viewers. Whereas data masking is all about not being able to recover the original data. Where [...]

Continue Reading

Cablegate

Posted on30. Nov, 2010 by Richard Fine.

Hi there! I’m Richard, newest addition to the cadre of Grid-Tools bloggers. Grid-Tools employ me as a “Technical Writer;” in practice, my job is all about explaining our products, the ideas they encapsulate, and the context in which they operate. I’ve only been around for a few weeks, but I’m enjoying it: not just because it’s a pleasant place to work, but because I understand the very real problems that the company is trying to solve. Unlike so many projects in the enterprise space, ours aren’t mere buzzwords and blown smoke. Our pitch doesn’t include the phrase “empowering synergies in your solution portfolio.” I have my fingers crossed that it never will, at least while I’m the one providing copy for the sales brochures…

Enough about me. Let’s talk about “cablegate.”

Continue Reading

Perhaps a Doctor’s note is required to secure our personal data?

Posted on24. May, 2010 by Huw Price.

Last month it was revealed that NHS managers have sent millions of medical notes overseas – as part of a cost cutting drive – and so it is an opportune moment to look once more at offshore centres.  A spokesperson tried to reassure us all that the information sent to India did not include confidential [...]

Continue Reading

Magical mystery tour

Posted on20. Apr, 2010 by Huw Price.

Roll up, roll up. I’m going on a mystery tour and I’m inviting you along. I’m going to get in touch with the financial organisations that are part of my life and I’m going to ask them about what journey my personal details can expect to take once they become test data. It should prove [...]

Continue Reading

Why masked data is no good!

Posted on31. Mar, 2010 by Huw Price.

I’m a keen bright developer working for a bank working on a new report, the DBAs have given me a full copy of masked production data. To test I need to find some data that’s changed over time. Where should I start? I think my boss has just had a big pay rise so let’s [...]

Continue Reading

Long arm of the Law

Posted on26. Feb, 2010 by Vanessa Howard.

Sometimes governments can be forward-thinking – no, really bear with me – and initiatives arrive you can quietly applaud. The Welsh Assembly Government’s e-Crime Wales is a partnership of organisations, agencies and the police – that it has dedicated police business liaison officers is thought to be a world’s first. Data loss and security breaches [...]

Continue Reading

Using data masking to create 'anonymous' datasets

Posted on25. Jan, 2010 by Jessica Jones.

Yesterday morning I woke to find an interesting article in ‘The Observer’ about anonymizing or masking personal data records. This turned out to be somewhat ironic considering I wrote two blogs on this very topic just last week! The article, written by Anushka Asthana (Policy Editor), discussed the concerns around using data masking or “anonymization [...]

Continue Reading