Oracle 8i gets new security additions
Oracle adds new security features into its flagship database software to help businesses protect information stored in their e-commerce Web sites and computing systems.
Oracle this week released an update to its Internet-focused Oracle 8i database with security features that can encrypt data from the desktop computer, through the Internet, and into the database, Oracle executives said.
"At no point, from the desktop all the way through to the database, is information vulnerable," said Bob Shimp, Oracle's senior director of product marketing. "If a hacker breaks through and rummages around, anything they take inside a database will be encrypted. They would have to crack every single credit card number."
Oracle 8i, originally released last March, is Oracle's attempt to cut into sales of Microsoft's Windows NT server operating system. With built-in software development tools, directory software, and the ability to run Java software code, company executives have touted it as the only product companies need to build and run business software over the Internet.
The new security features allow businesses to store all of their suppliers' and partners' information on one single database. While they all share a common database, the suppliers and partners will only be allowed to see their own account information, Shimp said.
Businesses can also control access to information, depending on the user's location, Shimp said. An employee working at the office can access more corporate information than an employee connecting remotely from home, he said.
As reported earlier, the update to the database includes new data warehousing tools, which extract information from databases and allow companies to analyze the information and build reports.
The new version also supports Java 2 Enterprise Edition, which includes the Enterprise JavaBeans programming language and the ability to debug Java software code, while the application is running in the database.
A key piece in Oracle--called Internet File System--is about a year behind schedule and is not expected to ship until this summer. The Internet File System, which would replace customers' use of the Windows NT file system, will store and manage Web pages, as well as word processing files, spreadsheets and multimedia items within the database.