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Database clustering involves database database replication to achieve  either redundancy (high availability, mirroring and disaster recovery), workload balancing for performance or scaling (analytics, business intelligence, data warehouse, queries, reporting), maintenance (upgrades, migration and conversionda), database consolidation and other objectives for data access, efficiency and better decision making. Database clustering can utilizes database replication so that the source and target databases are at different versions, or even of a different database type all together, such as PostgreSQl to Oracle replication, or DB2 to SQL. Database clustering may be used for a combination of on premise, virtual and cloud scenarios for different replication scenarios, such as:
  • One-way:1 database source to one target database
  • Distributed: 1 database source to multiple target databases
  • Consolidated: multiple database sources to one target database
  • Cascaded: 1 database source to 1 or more target databases, cascaded to 1 or more target databases again
  • Bi-directional: 1 or multiple database sources to 1 or multiple target database
  • Hybrid: 1 source database to 2 different databases, or a combination of any of these scenarios

Most ETL and database clustering solutions cannot meet complex business requirements when disparate platforms are a part of the equation or if complicated and long distance replication scenarios exist. Businesses with unique or complicated plans for database clustering should check out the advanced Database Replication software for clustering, with built-in conflict resolution and collision monitoring. It allows companies to replicate in real-time and transform data to and from the following databases: Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Azure SQL, IBM DB2, Oracle, Oracle RAC, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Teradata, IBM Informix and Sybase, of which the source and targets can be different combinations. Removing these technical barriers is key to real-time data sharing, which do not require abandoning existing investments and spending a lot of time and money on integration.

database clustering replication

Today’s business demands, mergers, acquisitions and tougher regulations are driving the needs for access to data in real-time. Advanced database replication abilities address these requirements, enabling companies to effortlessly replicate data from virtually any database to almost any other database, without large integration costs. Regardless of the purpose or reason, the advanced Database Replication software can replicate data between both homogeneous or heterogeneous databases, including if using different database management systems, running on different hardware and operating system platforms, and using different database schemas. The database replication software can keep entire databases in sync or specified portions.

The intuitive database GUI manager provides pre-defined templates for each database type to make replication setup quick and simple, but allows users to edit schema using Java-like controls for customization. The GUI makes it easy to map between the field names and data structures on the different databases, without risk of inaccurate data being populated onto new database. The GUI wizard for replication and customization removes all complexity, including not needing custom scripts, programming, indexing, rationalization, and will create target database tables automatically.

A quick and simple means to reduce administration, replace manual processes, and immediately automate database replication between databases, operating systems and physical, virtual or cloud environments. Real-time database replication allows companies to share data to improve business efficiency and decision making by keeping databases in sync, enabling access to information when, where and how it is needed for queries, reports, business intelligence, data warehousing and more.

“The one word that best describes the state of analytic data in large organizations is “fragmented.” Despite their best intentions, CIOs are struggling to deliver consistent data that provides a single view across the enterprise.” TDWI

 

2020 QRadar pricing includes volume based discounts and determined by the event logs per second and network flow logs per minute that will be sent to QRadar.

QRadar pricing volume discounts apply to both on premise products such as appliances, software, VMware, as well as QRadar in the Cloud, Security as a Service and hosted managed SIEM service offerings. IBM QRadar pricing is very competitive to other SIEM tools, especially after factoring in the ROI and TCO benefits. QRadar SIEM Security Intelligence platform Security Intelligence platform enables companies of any size to implement a SOC right out of the box, without having to purchase additional features and services to utilize cybersecurity, internal threats and vulnerability discovery features. It is very common for QRadar customers to replace 6 or more security products, given all the additional advanced capabilities they get from a single product.

Price Comparison Considerations Against Other SIEM

When comparing QRadar pricing to other SIEM tools, take into consideration both the TCO and ROI factors.

Forrester Research estimates the cost of QRadar for initial licenses, on-going maintenance and support for a small company over three years is about $155,000, and a mid-sized company would be about $645,000 for 3 years.

Mid-sized company infrastructures can vary more so than smaller companies, and even more so for larger companies. However Forrester offered one of IBM’s largest SIEM customers as an example for comparison, which has over $20B in revenue and 32,000 employees that cost $5.048M for QRadar over 3 years. Forrester Research is responsible for these cost estimates and taken from their “The Total Economic Impact Of IBM QRadar Security Intelligence Platform” study, which do not take into account TCO or ROI benefits.

  • Efficiency of detecting threats and vulnerabilities
  • Effectiveness of detecting actual threats and vulnerabilities
  • Incident response times
  • Less forensic investigations
  • Integration of third-party applications and log sources
  • Learning curve and training
  • Speed of implementation
  • Compliance and administrative costs
  • Human resources needed
  • Support of legacy systems and general infrastructure

Infrastructure Details Needed for A Quote Discussion

To discuss QRadar pricing or to receive a quote, the quantities or estimates of the below infrastructure details that you wish to send to a QRadar SIEM is needed from each site (primary data center and remote sites separately). QRadar SIEM has maximums for the number event logs per second or network flows per minute that can be sent. QRadar is only limited by the log sources your company decides to send to the SIEM. To learn more about how different event log and network flow sources (NetFlow, J-Flow, sFlow, vFlow, and QFlow) contribute to identifying cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities, please schedule a demonstration or watch the below short video demo.

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  • AD, ESX, DNS, DHCP and Authentication Servers
  • Windows IIS and Exchange Servers
  • Windows Servers (general purpose)
  • Unix and Linux Servers (general purpose)
  • Antivirus and Antimalware Servers
  • Database Servers
  • Proxy/Web Application Firewall Servers
  • Core, Large Firewalls (exposed to the public internet)
  • Small, Edge, Internal Firewalls (intranet)
  • IDS, VPN, IPS, WAF, DAM, DLP, LB systems
  • VPN Instances
  • Routers, Switches and Wireless devices
  • IBM i iSeries AS400 LPARs (can include: QAUDJRN, QHST, QSYSOPR, DB2 FIM, Performance, Network Traffic from Exit Programs)
  • IBM Mainframe z Series (can include: RACF, CICS and DB2)
  • Other Servers (provide Manufacture Type)
  • Critical 3rd Party Applications
  • Total Number of Workstations
  • Total Number of Servers
  • Number of Months for Log Retention on-line
  • Bandwidth
  • SEIM Product Preference: Appliance, Virtual, Cloud, SaasS or hosted/fully managed

What is IBM QRadar SIEM?

QRadar SIEM SecurityInformation Event Management platform from IBM is an integrated solution for vulnerability and risk management, cybersecurity and user threat hunting, security incident response and forensics analysis which utilizes security AI and machine learning technology to automate manual tasks. QRadar SIEM is available as an All-In-One on premise Security Information Event Management (SIEM) appliance, software running on VM, as an in the cloud offering and MSSP.

How is QRadar Different from other SIEMs?

QRadar SIEM helps security teams quickly and accurately detect and prioritize

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IBM i SFTP and FTPS are natively supported secure FTP protocols for server and client Managed File Transfer MFT requirements that secure file transfers to and from any iSeries or any other platform.

Some MFT projects will specify SFTP or FTPS for the Secure FTP MFT requirements, however this is usually a personal preference. IBM i SFTP and FTPS both use encrypted connections for file transfer. IBM i SFTP uses SSH cryptographic protocol and IBM i FTPS will use TLS or SSL implicit security (always on) cryptographic protocol.

IBM i MFA enables Multi Factor Authentication designed to prevent unauthorized users from logging onto iSeries systems by requring at least two authentication requirements prior granting access to the IBM i system through OS400 Sign-on, 5250 emulation and third-party applications running on the iSeries system. IBM i MFA addresses common cybersecurity and internal security threats, and is a common requirement for regulatory compliance. Week passwords and lack of common sense authentication practices are responsible for most security breaches. IBM i Multi Factor Authentication software is a low cost solution that can dramatically enhance the security posture of your system. They work with traditional sign-on credentials, while adding one or more requirement that include something the user possesses, such as a corporate email account, smart phone or token device, or something that the user has on them, such as a finger print, voice or eye ball. Since MFA requires users to provide at least two authentication factors, the chances of a cyber criminal accessing your IBM i is drastically reduced. The odds of a malicious user or cyber attacker being able to guess, find or steal a user's password and also utilize one of the additional authenticating factors is extremely unlikely, except for in the movies.

Multi Factor Authentication Process
MFA requires a user to provide at least two different pieces of evidence in addition to their user name, known as "authentication factors" to ensure their identity, and must include two of the following three categories:

  • Information the user knows, examples: PIN, password or passphrase
  • An item the user possesses, examples: email, phone or a device that provides a code
  • A item that is a part of the user, examples: voice, fingerprint or eye ball
Note: The use of a second identical authentication factor does not suffice as a valid MFA safe guard. For instance, users answering a second or third security question or using the addition of PIN after their password is validated, only accounts for single-factor authentication since they are both the same type of authentication factor "something they know".
Difference between Multi-Factor Authentication and Two-Factor Authentication
Multi Factor Authentication MFA is usually used interchangeably with 2FA Two Factor Authentication. MFA is more commonly used to described requirements in compliance regulations. The only difference "might" be the number of factors used for authentication, since 2FA only involves two, while MFA could mean two or more authentication factors.
Implementing Single-Step versus Multi-Step Authentication
IBM i MFA solutions are designed differently and can be configured to ask the user for authentication factors in a single step or in multiple steps. Single step authentication prompts the user for all authentication factors from a single screen and then validates all factors at one time. Multi step authentication prompts for one authentication factor on one screen or window, such as password and, if accepted, then prompts the user to provide the next authentication factor on another screen or window.
 Companies may choose, but multi-step authentication is considered to be less secure since it reveals that the first factor was correct if the user is prompted for the subsequent authentication factor. Single-step authentication is the most secure route as long as it validates both factors at the same time, and should the login fail, it doesn't tell the person who is logging in which authentication factor failed. In other words, no useful information is divulged to a would-be hacker. Because of this, many entities don't consider multi-step authentication to be true MFA. For instance, PCI DSS regulations recognize only single-step authentication to be a valid form of MFA, and then only if it is implemented in such a way that the user can't see the cause of a login failure should one occur.
Secondary Authentication Factors and Methods
Let's look more closely at the two authentication factors and methods that are used beyond the first authentication factor (which is usually something known, like a password). Something that the user possesses through the use of a landline phone, a smartphone, email, or a special hardware device, a second factor of authentication is in most instances delivered as a special code (sometimes referred to as a token). In order to prevent codes from being saved and reused, they are typically created in a way that they can be used only once and will expire if not used within a set period of time. The code is usually generated via a separate authentication system or third-party authentication service (more about these services in the next section). The most common methods for the delivery of codes are:
  • Smartphone app - A variety of mobile authentication smartphone apps exist that interface to the system to be accessed and generate single-use codes.
  •  Email - Codes are sent to the user's email address. For this method to be secure, it is essential that users have a different login for email than for the IBM i.
  •  Telephone call to landline or mobile number - Codes are sent as an audio message to one or more designated phone numbers associated with a user
  •  SMS/text message - Codes are sent by text message to a designated mobile phone.
 Although this continues to be a common way to deliver codes, a number of recent high-profile hacking incidents involving this method is causing many agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST, to discourage the use of this method.
Special hardware devices usually in the form of a small device that can be attached to a key ring, these have a range of features and methods for delivering authentication codes. Some are as simple as showing a code on a small screen on the device, which is then entered by the user. Hardware-specific delivery of codes is more secure than delivery by telephone, smartphone app, or email. However, this method can be costlier to deploy and, like smartphones, these devices can be lost or stolen.
Something That's Inherent to the User In some organizations, the secondary or even the tertiary factor of authentication is made through something that is inherent to the user, such as fingerprint, iris scan, face recognition, etc. Depending on the method used, the cost of implementing this as a factor of authentication can be high, so it is mostly used by organizations that have particularly sensitive data.
Authentication Services
The special authentication code that is generated for the user can come from a variety of sources, depending on the authentication method and level of security needed. Some examples of third-party authentication services that can integrate with IBM i MFA solutions to supply authentication codes include:
• RADIUS—Generates codes for a variety of computing platforms within an organization via a special enterprise server.
• RSA SecurID—Provides codes using hardware or software, or on demand via smartphone. Generates a one-time code that expires in 60 seconds. This solution can be optionally coupled with a user's PIN.
• Authy from Twilio—Installs on a mobile device or in a browser and provides time-based, single-use codes on demand. Doesn't require a cell connection because it works through a standalone mobile app. Can also deliver codes to a mobile or landline phone.
• TeleSign—Provides authentication codes by mobile and voice.
• YubiKey—Provides codes via a thumb-drive device.
It should be noted that some MFA software offerings provide their own authentication code–generating functions, but these are generally utilized only in low-risk environments.
MFA is Integrated with IBM iSeries Processes in Various Ways
Multiple third-party vendors, with Syncsort among them, provide MFA solutions for IBM i, and IT shops often choose to buy and implement one of these rather than going to the trouble to create their own. Regardless of whether the MFA solution comes from a third party or is developed in-house, it is important that it provide flexibility in how MFA is invoked since users access the IBM i from different places and processes.
The most common way MFA is presented to users is from the 5250 sign-on screen a user sees when logging onto a system. Nonetheless, you may not need to require MFA for all users or in all situations. For this reason, your MFA solution should provide the ability either to select individual users or groups of users that require MFA or to define specific situations in which users require MFA. And it should go a step further by allowing you to set a variety of rules for when MFA is invoked; for instance, you may want to enable or disable MFA based on special authorities, IP addresses, device type, dates/times, and a variety of other criteria. 
Your solution should also provide a way to integrate MFA into your IBM i applications and processes at a granular level. In some cases, you might want to invoke MFA when a user accesses a sensitive application, and/or you might want to trigger MFA when a user is about to change sensitive data. For some IBM i shops, it is also important to have the ability to integrate MFA into web applications.
Logging MFA Activity
Like other security-related IBM i operations in which it is important to log activity, it is essential that your MFA application also provide comprehensive logging. A secure file or journal (such as QAUDJRN) is often utilized to provide an audit trail that cannot be altered. Of course, if your enterprise uses a SIEM console to capture enterprise-wide security events, you'll want to integrate the logging from your MFA solution with your SIEM solution. 
There are two different types of events that should be logged: MFA application configuration changes and MFA authentication failures.
• Logging MFA Application Configurations—Object-level auditing and user-level auditing should be in place to record any changes to MFA configuration functions.
• Logging MFA Authentication Failures—Not only should authentication failures be logged but, in some cases, it might be important for administrators or security officers to receive alerts when failures occur. Some MFA solutions provide the ability to automatically disable user profiles in the event of certain kinds of MFA authentication failures.
Additional Functions That Incorporate MFA
Some MFA solutions provide added functionality that can be used in specialized situations:
• The "Four Eyes" Principle for Supervised Changes and Operations—For operations that could have significant risk or for data changes that are so sensitive they must be supervised by another person, some MFA offerings provide the ability to enforce what is called a "four eyes" policy. Here's how it works: when a user wishes to perform a sensitive change or operation, a designated administrator receives an email with a single-use code along with information on the identity of the user making the request. The administrator can then enter the code into the user's screen and observe the change or operation while it is being made.
• Self-Service Profile Re-Enablement and Password Changes— Multi-factor authentication technology can be used to help users re-enable their profiles or change a forgotten password without the intervention of an administrator, thus freeing administrators to focus their time on other priorities. For instance, a user can answer preconfigured security questions and/or receive a single-use code via pop-up window, email, or hardware device before making changes to their profile.
Syncsort MFA Multi-Factor Authentication solutions
MFA is a powerful technology for protecting sensitive data from being accessed by external and internal actors with bad intentions, and there are numerous approaches and features to consider when choosing an MFA solution that's best for your organization. This is why it's important to work with a trusted company to deliver an adaptable MFA solution that will work seamlessly with your IBM i environments and that is backed by expert services and responsive support. Having brought together the top security solutions in the industry, Syncsort provides end-to-end security solutions and services for IBM i, including powerful options for MFA that support a range of authentication services. Let our team of IBM i security experts help you solve your MFA needs.

Compliance Regulations for IBM i MFA Multi-Factor Authentication

23 NYCRR 500 - Financial and insurance institutions are commonly required to meet the requirements defined by the State of New York Department of Financial Services in its cybersecurity regulation that covers companies providing financial services within the state. The 23 NYCRR 500 regulation applies to institutions that do business in New York, regardless of where they are headquartered. 23 NYCRR 500 Section 500.12(b) states: "Multi-Factor Authentication shall be utilized for any individual accessing the Covered Entity's internal networks from an external network, unless the Covered Entity's CISO has approved in writing the use of reasonably equivalent or more secure access controls."

PCI DSS - The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Standards Council specify the Data Security Standard (DSS) for companies that handle credit card information must meet. Section 3.2 of PCI DSS requires all users connecting remotely to the CDE be secured by MFA, including administrators, general users or outside vendors. It also requires that all administrators attempting non-console access to the cardholder data environment (CDE) provide MFA. In the past, MFA was required only for any remote access to the CDE, but the new requirement means any administrative access via internal networks must also be validated with MFA. At some companies, this could include quite a few people because a typical IBM i environment has several user profiles that are technically at the administrator level and who can access the CDE—for instance, anyone with *SECADM or *ALLOBJ authority.

FFIEC - The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) provides guidance for the use of MFA in an Internet-banking environment, providing minimum expectations for authentication of "high-risk" online transactions involving customer access to critical information and/or movement of assets. Specifically, it states: "The agencies consider single-factor authentication, as the only control mechanism, to be inadequate for high-risk transactions involving access to customer information or the movement of funds to other parties."

Many other compliance regulations state or imply the benefits of MFA, including HIPAA, Swift Alliance Access, GDPR, SOX, GLBA, and others.Considering the increased cybersecurity threats facing companies, it is perhaps just good common sense to implement MFA, even if no obligation exists to meet regulatory compliance requirements. The fact that the IBM iSeries is usually housing companies most sensitive or mission critical data and business services, security best practices would have you consider adding this MFA to further protect sensitive data from being accessed in an unauthorized manner. After calculating the the significant costs and disruptions a security breach causes, it is in fact the prudent thing to do. 

 

Using Profile Swaps and Adopted Authority policies for IBM i temporary elevated authority requirements is a great idea for reducing the number of powerful profiles on the iSeries, especially if most users only need privileged access for short periods of time to perform specific tasks, like using the command line, changing a production file with DFU, STRSQL or other applications. There are times when a Profile Swap will make sense versus using the Adopted Authority of a target profile, but odds are your IBM i has too many users with special authorities they do not need. Many IBM i shops have a very long list of powerful profiles with special authorities and command line access that should be removed. Special authorities should be given out on a “as needed” basis, or reflect the user responsibilities on the system.  If and when a task at hand requires elevated authority, let the profile swap or adopted authority policy to its job.

What is IBM QRadar SIEM?

QRadar SIEM Security Information Event Management platform from IBM is an integrated solution for vulnerability and risk management, cybersecurity and user threat hunting, security incident response and forensics analysis which utilizes security AI and machine learning technology to automate manual tasks. QRadar SIEM is available as an All-In-One on premise Security Information Event Management (SIEM) appliance, software running on VM, as an in the cloud offering and MSSP.

How is QRadar Different from other SIEMs?

QRadar SIEM helps security teams quickly and accurately detect and prioritize cybersecurity and internal security threats across the enterprise, and provide intelligent insights that enable security analysts to confidently respond to risks and breaches. QRadar enables a single consolidated view of all aspects of security by analyzing event logs and network flow data from every device, system, database, application and security defense tools distributed throughout your network or in the cloud, while correlating this information with security AI, machine learning and behavior analytics which automates and accelerates incident analysis and remediation. QRadar is able to analyze network, endpoint, asset, user, vulnerability and threat data in real-time and accurately detect known and unknown threats that human threat hunters miss or would take hours or days to complete.

QRadar Resources:

QRadar Demonstration

Why is QRadar so effective? Security Intelligence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8jYztF6arI&t=7s

How IBM AI DRIVEN QRADAR COMPARES

Compared to other SIEM solutions, IBM QRadar has machine learning, cybersecurity AI and behavior analytics technologies built in to automate many security analyst’s tasks, such as threat hunting, vulnerability scanning, user risk analysis, alerts, incident response and conducting forensics of an identified offense. QRadar SIEM turns all the accumulated event logs, network activity logs and scans into security intelligence that can detect and prevent both security threats using security AI from a vast amount of industry expert sources. QRadar is able to successfully parse and correlate event logs from more vendors than any other solution on the market, enabling out of the box pre-defined searches, alerts and reports for quick and simple implementation.

An All-In-One QRadar SIEM solution includes the following:

  • Web Console (unlimited users)
  • Event Log Collector (sources can be on premise, remote or in the cloud)
  • Network Flow Collector (sources can be on premise or remote)
  • Event Log Processor
  • Vulnerability Scanner (up to 256 included, supports customer provided scanners)
  • Network Flow Processor (Level 1 to 5 PCAP, Level 7 packet capture is add-on)
  • Cybersecurity AI Threat Intelligence Integration
  • Behavior Analytics
  • Access to 100’s of Security Apps for use with QRadar at no extra charge
  • Predefined Rules, Alerts, Responses, Reports and Dashboards for over 450 vendor specific products

This page is kept up to date with the latest IBM QRadar Security Intelligence demonstrations and videos. QRadar SIEM security products embed cybersecurity AI and user behavioral analytics with machine learning technology for automated threat hunting, vulnerability and risk detection using your event logs and network flows. Cybersecurity AI for SIEM Security can quickly and accurately identify and stop attackers in a fraction of the time and cost of human. QRadar SIEM Security uses machine learning and user behavior analytics to help identify internal threats of users with malicious intent and prevents data theft. QRadar SIEM security can embed cybersecurity AI from real-time threat feeds to run searches, reports and create alerts, saving Security Analysts a lot of time researching and hunting. Intelligent vulnerability scans help identify security risks of IT assets and user devices so necessary actions can be taken to protect corporate assets. 

QRadar Security Intelligence Demonstration

Cybersecurity AI integrated SIEM Security tools accurately identify and prevent attacks in a fraction of the time and cost humans are capable, using security automation. Companies are struggling to identify both cybersecurity and internal threats and vulnerabilities in a timely manner, which are mainly due to manual processes and human error. Cybersecurity attacks are increasing at an unprecedented pace and becoming harder to detect. Operating System and software vulnerabilities in end point devices due to patches not being applied are another contributing factor to successful cybersecurity attacks. Many companies are working with limited or overwhelmed staff, and others are lacking in the expertise needed to manage their SIEM Security environment. The ever growing costs of managing all of the above, is only compounding these problems.