What is File Activity Monitoring?
File server security refers to safeguarding the file servers where about 90% of a company’s sensitive data resides. While database servers are crucial, the remaining data is often stored on shared file servers. Uncontrolled sharing, access, and modification of sensitive data accessible to internal employees pose various security risks. There are measures to minimize these risks.
Discover your sensitive data: Not all files stored on file servers are the same. While some need to be accessible to all company employees, others should be limited to specific users. Additionally, certain files may contain sensitive and personally identifiable information that must be legally protected. Regular scans to identify files containing sensitive data are the first step in security processes.
Monitor all accesses: Activities on file servers should be monitored in real-time and logged. Instances of data access breaches by users should be instantly viewable and, if necessary, blocked. Particularly, users with administrative privileges on servers can access any area as they wish. Access to files containing sensitive data by privileged users should be restricted.
Track file and directory permissions: According to modern security principles, each user should have only the necessary permissions. Creating a permission matrix for your file server and revoking excessive permissions minimizes security risks. This ensures that the permissions of users changing departments within the company are dynamically updated.
IBM Security Guardium File Activity Monitoring solution can easily meet your file server security requirements. Guardium supports Windows, Linux, and Unix operating systems and secures files in your Sharepoint and NAS areas. With Guardium’s modern architecture, you can monitor file server activities and prevent data breaches without relying on file server logs. Feel free to reach out to us for your file server security needs.