An Investigation of the Security Designs of a Structured Query Language (Sql) Database and its Middleware Application and their Secure Implementation Within Thinclient Environments
Melissa D. Winner-Leoni · ePublications at Regis University (Regis University) · 2008
The Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and The SarbanesOxley (SOX) regulations greatly influenced the health care industry regarding the means of securing financial and private data within information and technology. With the introduction of thinclient technologies into medical information systems (IS), data security and regulation compliancy becomes more problematic due to the exposure to the World Wide Web (WWW) and malicious activity. This author explores the best practices of the medical industry and information technology industry for securing electronic data within the thinclient environment at the three levels of architecture: the SQL database, its middleware application, and Web interface. Designing security within the SQL database is not good enough as breaches can occur through unintended consequences during data access within the middleware application design and data exchange design over computer networks. For example, a "hospital's medical records, which are routinely exchanged over computer networks, are subject to the audit control an encryption requirements mandated for data security." (Department of, 2008). While there is an overlapping of security techniques within each of the three layers of architectural security design, the use of 18 methodologies greatly enhances the ability to protect electronic information. Due to the variety of IS used within a medical facility, security conscientiousness, consistency of security design, excellent communication between designers, developers and system engineers, and the use of standardized security techniques within each of the three layers of architecture are required.