Imperva introduces data security for Microsoft SharePoint

The software is said to "address the unique security requirements of SharePoint's file, web and database infrastructure," providing businesses with visibility and analytics around data access, so that only authorised users gain access to data. Neil MacDonald, vice president of analyst Gartner, makes the point that while most organisations might have a fairly good handle on structured data in databases, "we don't have this same knowledge about what's in our file shares and in our collaboration systems." And that's that value of this introduction: it plugs the gap in undoubtedly valuable Sharepoint-based enterprise collaboration environments – where user access rights sometimes do not align with business needs, leaving sensitive data vulnerable. As MacDonald puts it: "To securely enable the sharing of sensitive information via collaboration, we first need to understand what is being shared, how and when it is being shared and with whom it is being shared. However, most organisations don't have this level of visibility, creating a significant security blind spot." With SecureSphere, all that appears to change – the primary tools looking after: access rights visibility, audit trail & policy control; data owner and stale data identification; and web application & database security protection. "Microsoft SharePoint offers businesses great value as a collaboration tool, but presents a unique challenge when it comes to securing corporate data," comments Amichai Shulman, Imperva's CTO. "Without the appropriate security controls in place, SharePoint users run the risk of leaking sensitive information or opening themselves to online attacks. Imperva's SecureSphere for SharePoint offers deep visibility and control over data access within SharePoint, as well as protection against web-based security threats."