Data Audit for Informix

Introduction

In today's digital landscape, organizations face mounting pressure to protect their data assets. Database administrators and security professionals must implement robust monitoring and verification processes, making data audit for Informix an essential component of modern security strategies.

While IBM Informix provides native auditing tools, integrating advanced third-party solutions can enhance and streamline your auditing process. Recent cybersecurity statistics highlight the increasing frequency of cyberattacks, underscoring the importance of a strong auditing framework.

In this article, you will find a step-by-step guide into Informix's native auditing capabilities, as well as a brief exploration of DataSunrise's features for enhancing compliance and security.

Native Informix Auditing Capabilities

IBM Informix includes built-in auditing tools that allow administrators to monitor database activities such as access, changes, and user authentication attempts. The key components of Informix auditing include:

1. Audit Enabling Commands

Before diving into monitoring, you'll need to activate the auditing features through a series of essential commands:

$ onaudit -L 1  # Enable logging level
$ onaudit -A 1  # Activate audit for all users
$ onaudit -c    # Configure the audit settings

2. Testing with Sample Queries

To ensure your audit setup is functioning correctly, you can run these sample operations to generate audit logs:

CREATE TABLE testing_table (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(100),
    age INT
);

INSERT INTO testing_table (name, age) VALUES ('Alice', 30);
INSERT INTO testing_table (name, age) VALUES ('Bob', 25);

SELECT * FROM testing_table;

3. Reviewing Audit Logs

Once your operations are complete, examine the collected audit logs using the straightforward onshowaudit command:

$ onshowaudit

• Filter the logs for specific actions or users.
• Audit codes like ACTB (Access Table) describe activities performed on database.

You can refer to IBM official documentation for more information about available configurations

Enhanced Data Audit and security for Informix with DataSunrise

Although Informix’s onaudit feature provides basic auditing, it may not meet the demands of production environments requiring robust compliance and security. DataSunrise enhances Informix with a comprehensive suite of features designed to meet stringent regulatory requirements. Unlike onaudit, it integrates seamlessly with minimal performance impact, offering highly customizable audit rules, security protocols, and compliance reporting, along with advanced threat detection and real-time alerts.

Advantages of DataSunrise for Informix

• Fast and Easy Setup: With a range of deployment options, DataSunrise simplifies the setup process, allowing you to begin monitoring your Informix database activity right away. Skip the complexity of manual log configurations and enjoy an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

• Comprehensive Audit Rules: DataSunrise offers flexible audit rules that provide extensive customization options. You can apply rules to specific Informix database objects, such as sensitive data, and schedule audits to run at precise times. This not only automates compliance reporting but also reduces the manual effort typically required for log analysis.

• Advanced Threat Protection: DataSunrise goes beyond basic auditing with features like real-time threat alerts, customizable security rules, and behavioral analytics for detecting potential threats.

• Centralized Monitoring: DataSunrise provides a unified solution for database activity monitoring, supporting Informix and over 40 other data storage systems. This ensures consistency in security policies across all your data environments.

Business Benefits of Data Auditing for Informix

Implementing data auditing for Informix provides multiple business advantages:

• Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify and address data breaches or compliance violations before they become costly issues.
• Simplified Audits: Automate audit tasks, reducing the time and effort spent on manual reviews and enhancing operational efficiency.
• Increased Trust: Demonstrate your commitment to data security and compliance, building trust with customers and stakeholders.
• Improved Operational Efficiency: Streamline data management processes, which leads to better decision-making and more efficient operations.
• Competitive Edge: Strengthen your competitive position by adopting secure, compliant data practices that enhance your reputation.

Conclusion

As relational databases like Informix continue to manage sensitive business data, robust audit capabilities are essential for ensuring security and compliance. While Informix offers strong database management features, it is important to supplement these with additional solutions to meet evolving compliance standards.

DataSunrise provides a comprehensive data auditing solution for Informix, addressing the compliance and security challenges businesses face. Through real-time monitoring, intelligent analytics, and broad platform compatibility, DataSunrise delivers the robust audit infrastructure needed to maintain security and meet regulatory requirements.

Are you ready to enhance your data audit and security capabilities for informix? Schedule a demo to see DataSunrise in action.