All relational databases include some type of security measures to protect the database from unauthorized users. These security measures range from simple password protection to assigned user roles. As a database administrator, limiting access to certain users is one of the most effective ways to secure your database.
In this post, we’re going to explain the importance of creating user accounts for each person who will be accessing your database and assigning the appropriate roles for each one. Because each database management system is different, it’s best to consult with a database support company like Arkware for the right procedure.
Create Separate User Accounts
It’s highly recommended to set up an account for each person who will be accessing your database. Even though there is a way to share accounts between users, it’s not the best idea because you can’t be sure who is using the account and when. Personal reliability is important when using a database, so you want to be able to trace activity back to individual users.
Another reason not to share accounts is because if you want to remove access from a particular person, you’ll have to change the password for everyone. Because people come and go from organizations on a regular basis, it’s easier to give each user their own account. If someone leaves your company, you can simply deactivate access to that user.
Assign Roles to Users
If you have a work environment with a small number of database users, it should be easy to create user accounts and assign them permissions on your own. But, if you have a large number of users, this will probably be more difficult. Not only do you have to create the accounts but also manage them.
To help with this, relational databases usually support the notion of roles. Instead of assigning roles to each individual account, user accounts are automatically assigned to roles, and permissions are assigned to these roles as a whole.
Grant and Revoke Permissions
Once your accounts have been created and roles assigned, you can strengthen security by adding permissions. Not all users need the same permissions. Give users the least amount of permissions they need to do their jobs. If someone leaves your organization, or you want to revoke their permissions, you can do this on an individual basis without disrupting any of your other users.
To make your database more secure by limiting user access, reference your database management documentation or consult a database development and support company like Arkware. Schedule your free consultation today at 877-519-4537.