05
Sat, Oct
2 New Articles

New CoSort Tool Works to Prevent Data Privacy Breaches

High Availability / Disaster Recovery
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
Innovative Routines International Inc. (IRI), makers of the CoSort data manipulation package has announced that CoSort V9 can encrypt and protect files with private personal information down to the field level. Other tools protect sensitive data by encrypting entire files, databases, disks, or laptops—which is often slower, and renders everything else inaccessible. Instead, CoSort can apply different protections to each field as needed: anonymization, encryption, de-identification, filtering, obfuscation, or pseudonymization—rendering data theft futile. Also unique is the fact that CoSort users can employ (and audit) these protections as they manipulate and report from many large files.

CoSort V9 integrates these security functions into its widely-used data transformation and presentation language (called SortCL). Companies and government agencies can use SortCL to protect data (e.g. name, social security, credit card, or phone number) in source files that are at rest or in motion. Other field-level protection methods are cumbersome, limited to one encryption library or database, or require standalone processing or expensive ETL software, the company says.

With 256-AES data encryption and other protections built into SortCL, CoSort users can simultaneously process and present data from CSV, index, LDIF, sequential, text, XML and other portable files without exposing private information. IRI Senior Software Engineer Don Punhagen observed that, "SortCL can encrypt data quickly, and do it in the same job script and input/output (I/O) stream with large-scale sorting, joining, aggregation, conversion, and reporting tasks." In addition, SortCL scripts are explicit, easy-to-implement, and fully auditable—"a key benefit for industries with stringent compliance requirements," he added.

"Data loss and the compromising of personal information is pandemic," explains industry data expert Gwen Thomas of The Data Governance Institute. "Over the last 28 months, hundreds of documented security breaches have resulted in over 154 million records being compromised. A common theme in these breaches was that sensitive data was not encrypted—not at the file level, and not at the field level."

IRI Vice President David Friedland summarizes IRI's field-level solution this way: "CoSort V9 can rapidly and affordably protect personally-identifying information with a rule- and role-based choice of targeted, convenient, and verifiable security functions. This includes precision encryption that lasts from database loading to overseas outsourcing."

The company says its new version solves a big industry problem—manipulating and migrating massive XML and LDIF (LDAP interchange format) files to and from other file formats. Prior to CoSort 9, there has been no efficient way to convert, process, protect, or create large files in either format, the company says. The new CoSort version can do this thereby helping companies use this data in many more ways.

XML is a popular interchange format but large XML files have not been practical for manipulation or conversion. LDIF on the other hand, holds large amounts of information but is not a file format that most applications can import or process.

XML

CoSort can convert between uniform XML files and sequential (flat), COBOL, CSV, LDIF and other legacy formats. "Vast amounts of valuable data are still processed in legacy file formats," explains Purnhagen. "New customer-facing applications are being developed using service oriented architecture (SOA) and driven by data in XML format. CoSort V9 bridges the gap between these disparate technologies, allowing their data to flow both ways." CoSort can also sort, transform, report on, and protect (encrypt, de-ID, etc.) data in large, flat XML files directly.

LDIF

CoSort accurately and quickly processes billions of rows of directory access protocol (DAP) data, allowing organizations, like Comcast's Data Engineering and Management Integration (DEMI) group, to join and analyze LDIF records in connection with other data formats and warehouse processes. "We work with 10-terabytes of data a day and could not pull this off successfully without CoSort," explains Ray Harrison, a principal engineer at Comcast. "No other tool gives us this much speed and flexibility in processing or converting this volume of LDIF records."

The company at the same time also announced the availability of an optional dashboard application for displaying business information in convenient visual formats. Popular with executive management and IT professionals for the quick visual assessment they enable, dashboards help automate and unify source data across multiple departments or business lines. Dashboards also help managers monitor data in order to quickly shift marketing, sales or distribution tactics.

The Data Volume Problem

Dashboard software cannot handle large data sets efficiently. With source files and tables routinely at or above the gigabyte level, companies must integrate, reduce, and cleanse their data before dashboard display is possible. Back-end staging and scrubbing can also involve sort, join, aggregation, encryption, and other remapping operations so that accurate, secure data subsets can be exported to the dashboard. CoSort's SortCL tool performs all this pre-processing in a single pass through one or more massive sequential files. SortCL outputs data in CSV and XML formats that dashboards can import.

Why CoSort Dashboard?

By offering an optional dashboard application to its customers (and others who do not have one), IRI can connect the fundamental parts of the customer information lifecycle and move users more seamlessly from data processing to presentation.

The CoSort Dashboard application can import files from CoSort's SortCL tool, and combine them with data from other sources such as Excel and ODBC. The data populates graphical, dynamic charts that support business intelligence objectives. Custom visual options include: tables, 3-D views, geographic maps, metric tickers, animated speedometers, and ad hoc data displays.

According to Spencer Technology (a business intelligence consultancy) principal Evrard Spencer, "CoSort's dashboard analytics and backend data tools are invaluable when applying innovative, metric-validated solutions to solve business process integration problems for increased client value and regulatory compliance."

About CoSort / IRI Inc.

Innovative Routines International (IRI) Inc., The CoSort Company, was founded in 1978. Now headquartered in Melbourne, Fla. IRI is represented in more than 30 international locations. A pioneer in open systems, IRI has grown steadily since its inception by helping IT professionals perform or accelerate: legacy sort and file migrations, high-volume data warehouse ETL and database utility operations, and, new software applications. Please visit Cosort or call 800-333-SORT for more information.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: