Can anyone on this forum enlighten me as to the advantages/disadvantages of encrypting the Progeny server database? We have sensitive patient information that we want to protect. Have other customers used an encrypted database with success? Have there been performance problems? If so, under what circumstances?
Thank you.
database encryption - seeking advice
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Janice,
Thank you for your post! All of the databases that are created by Progeny include encryption and are password protected for each userid that you add to the database.
Sybase describes the additional levels of encryption that you can implement for your database in the following way:
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Encryption makes the data stored in your physical database file unreadable.There are two levels of encryption:
Simple encryption is equivalent to obfuscation. The data is unreadable, but someone with cryptographic expertise could decipher the data. Simple encryption is achieved by specifying the ENCRYPTED clause with no KEY clause.
Strong encryption is achieved through the use of a 128-bit AES algorithm and a security key. The data is unreadable and virtually undecipherable without the key. To create a strongly encrypted database, specify the ENCRYPTED clause with the KEY option. As with most passwords, it is best to choose a KEY value that cannot be easily guessed. It is recommended that you choose a value for your KEY that is at least 16 characters long, contains a mix of upper and lower case, and includes numbers, letters, and special characters.
Caution: Protect your key! Be sure to store a copy of your key in a safe location. A lost key will result in a completely inaccessible database, from which there is no recovery.
You will require this key each time you want to start the database.
The following are invalid for database encryption keys:
• keys that begin with white space or single or double quotes
• keys that end with white space
• keys that contain semicolons
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Please note that by adding additional encryption to your database you will notice performance issues concerning speed within the database.If there are any community members that have added additional encryption to their database, please send a post to Janice and let her know how it is working out for you!
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