Securing Next-Generation Information Architectures

Next-generation information architectures such as data federation and information services are gaining increased adoption, so security professionals must ensure their protection from all relevant threats. What is the nature of those threats? These next-generation architectures revolutionize enterprise data access by federating disparate data sources but may bypass traditional data security measures. While liberating information from application data silos, information services can also create new security holes and vulnerabilities, leaving a back door open to attacks if left unchecked. Security professionals must work from the start with enterprise architecture and application development professionals to ensure that information services are secure from the ground up. Designing information services with security in mind can actually improve information security, since information services can enforce centralized security policies and lock away direct access to underlying data sources.