Cyber-Security Sidebar:
The Virtual Safe
How Imperva protects data in the cloud
Bartholomew Cooke
Print
E-mail
Imperva Inc. (NYSE: IMPV) was founded in 2002 to help companies secure their data, including data they entrust to the public cloud as well as the data stored in the private clouds that businesses are using to extend their traditional data centers. Rob Rachwald, director of security strategy, says Imperva’s signature product, SecureSphere, a network appliance that monitors activity to look for bad behavior or deviations from the norm, guards business databases and protects Web-based applications from attack. The SecureSphere Web Application Firewall combines multiple security engines into a single tight Web defense to provide protection from online data theft threats.
“We’re meeting the demand for what we call a new kind of total data security.”
— Rob Rachwald
With cloud computing, virtualization and outsourcing becoming more prevalent, “we’re meeting the demand for what we call a new kind of total data security,” says Rachwald. “CIOs and businesspeople need to understand how and where their data moves and how to protect it all along the way. Security has really become a business process.”
Imperva offers both large-scale solutions for service providers and cloud infrastructure services as well as product and service options that scale down to mid-market and even small businesses. “We apply the principles of application security specifically to Internet and Web systems,” Rachwald explains. “That’s the strategy we use to keep cloud-based data safe.”
Staying on top of the latest threats is Imperva’s Application Defense Center, the company’s research laboratory that conducts hands-on testing to improve its products and produce such reports as the “Top Nine Cyber Security Trends for 2012.” Imperva CTO Amichai Shulman warns in particular about the upcoming launch of HTML 5, which hackers seeking new vulnerabilities will likely attack; and the rise of “cyber brokers,” basically fences who facilitate the sale of stolen data. But don’t expect to fix all your data security issues in one fell swoop, he warns. “Hacking, by nature, is a discipline that relies on innovation,” says Shulman. “Knowing future potential threats helps security teams fight against the bad guys.”
To read about Imperva’s “Top Nine Cyber Security Trends for 2012,” click here.
