Update November 2022: Introducing SQL Server 2022. Find out what’s new.
Microsoft announced the features by editions for SQL Server 2019. Click here for more information.
If you are trying to build a secure application, there a few things that you can do to help secure your databases, including:
- Design a secure application
- Encrypt confidential assets
- Build a firewall around the database servers
When the physical media, such as drives or tapes or even the files themselves, get stolen or fall into the wrong hands, these files can be restored or attached to another SQL Server instance or viewed using a hex editor. If this occurs, the thief/hacker can then browse your data. A possible solution is to encrypt the data in the database this encryption uses keys to protect the data. The keys are protected with a certificate so if you don’t have the keys, you don’t have access to the data.
Up until now, TDE has been an enterprise-only feature. This limitation to the standard edition has been detrimental to people who want to build a secure database application using SQL Server standard edition. Security is a critical area to all businesses in the modern day, so SQL Server users that have the ability to encrypt your data at rest on-premises will help you build a more secure system.
For more information, contact our SQL team today.
