Best Data Masking Software

Guide to Data Masking Software

Data masking software is a form of data protection technology used to protect sensitive or confidential data. It is commonly used by organizations to protect the privacy of their customers, employees, and other stakeholders. Data masking works by obscuring or replacing original data with randomized data that looks like the real thing but does not contain any of the original information. This allows organizations to use accurate test data for development and training without exposing sensitive information.

Data masking software typically works in one of two ways: static or dynamic. Static masking involves applying a fixed set of rules to all data elements in order to obfuscate them. For example, if a Social Security number needs to be protected, the last four digits might be replaced with asterisks (*). Dynamic masking involves using an algorithm to replace each element with a random value that still resembles the original value but cannot be reverse-engineered back into its original form.

Organizations can also use a combination of both static and dynamic masking techniques depending on what type of data they are protecting and how much security they need. The level of security needed will also dictate which type of encryption should be used when storing masked information (e.g., AES-256). In addition, organizations may choose to apply additional layers of protection such as access controls and audit trails that record who accessed which pieces of masked information at what times.

Data masking technology is beneficial because it protects sensitive customer information from unauthorized users while still allowing systems administrators, developers, and testers to work with realistic test datasets without exposing actual private user details in production environments. Additionally, it enables organizations to adhere to regulations such as GDPR and CCPA that require companies to pay close attention when handling customer information for business purposes.  By utilizing this technology, companies can ensure compliance while still providing high-quality services and products for their customers without risking their privacy in case of a breach or attack.

Features Offered by Data Masking Software

• Masking: An essential feature of data masking software is the ability to apply various masking techniques to sensitive data in order to ensure its security. This includes applying codes, encryption algorithms, or substituting characters with a different character or symbol.
• Blurring: This feature enables users to use blur functions on sensitive data fields in order to conceal them from view. It helps prevent accidental disclosure of private information.
• Data Shuffling: In this feature, the sequence of certain characters within a field is changed without altering the meaning of the data. It makes it difficult for someone to discern patterns or meaning from the contents of the field.
• Redaction: By using this option, users can remove all or part of a document that contains sensitive information while still leaving the rest readable.
• Format Preserving Encryption (FPE): FPE is an algorithm used by data masking software that encrypts confidential information while maintaining its original format and preventing unauthorized access.
• Tokenization: Tokenization involves replacing an original value with a surrogate token value that does not reveal any meaningful information about the original input string. It is especially useful for reducing risks associated with credit card numbers and personal health information (PHI).
• Database Crawling: Database crawling uses specialized scripts and algorithms to scan through every record stored in databases and securely identify sensitive elements such as names, addresses, phone numbers etc., allowing them to be automatically masked with appropriate formats or encodings before they are visible outside of an organization's network.

What Are the Different Types of Data Masking Software?

• Format-Preserving Encryption Software: This software encrypts the original data by preserving its format and structure, but obscuring the actual values. It can be used to generate encrypted versions of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or other sensitive data while ensuring accuracy and consistency for downstream applications.
• Obfuscation Software: This type of software is commonly used to hide sensitive data from unauthorized users by replacing it with character strings that are incomprehensible or irrelevant. It works by substituting characters from a key field to create a new value that resembles the original value in terms of length and character types.
• Tokenization Software: Rather than obscuring the original data, tokenization systems replace it with randomly generated characters called “tokens” which have no intrinsic meaning or relationship to the original information. The tokens are just placeholders that let authorized users access only what they need without seeing any other confidential information.
• Dynamic Data Masking Software: This type of software dynamically masks data as it is retrieved from a database, preventing unauthorized users from ever seeing the full value of sensitive information. It can also be set up to allow certain user groups or roles access to different levels of masked data based on their access privileges, further protecting confidential information from unauthorized use.

Recent Trends Related to Data Masking Software

1. Increased Need for Data Security: Data masking software has become increasingly popular as businesses face the need to protect their confidential data from potential theft or loss due to cyberattacks.
2. Regulatory Compliance: In many industries, organizations are required to comply with data privacy regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA, which require organizations to mask sensitive data in order to protect it.
3. Growing Adoption of Cloud Computing: As cloud computing becomes more popular, companies need to ensure their data is protected when stored in the cloud. Data masking can help protect sensitive data while still allowing access by authorized users.
4. Automation: Automated data masking tools can help reduce the time and cost associated with manually masking data. Automation also helps reduce errors and increases efficiency.
5. Improved Performance: By masking data, businesses can improve the performance of their applications by reducing the load on their databases by removing unneeded columns or fields of sensitive data from queries.

Advantages Provided by Data Masking Software

1. Improved Security: Data masking helps protect sensitive data from unauthorized access by obscuring confidential information such as names, addresses, and financial information. By masking this type of data, organizations can ensure that only those with the proper credentials can view it. As a result, the risk of a data breach is significantly reduced.
2. Increased Compliance: Compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR requires organizations to securely handle sensitive customer information. With data masking in place, organizations can rest assured that their data will remain safe and compliant with applicable laws.
3. Streamlined Development Processes: Data masking ensures that developers have access to real-world test data while still protecting sensitive information from being exposed. This allows them to safely test new applications or features without risking the privacy of customers or clients.
4. Reduced Costs: Data masking eliminates the need for additional storage and processing power when dealing with large amounts of sensitive data. By streamlining development processes and reducing storage costs, businesses save time and money in the long run.
5. Enhanced Performance: By obfuscating unnecessary details from datasets, businesses are able to reduce query times when dealing with large amounts of structured or unstructured data. In addition, since only relevant records are returned during queries, businesses can more efficiently analyze data without experiencing any performance issues due to excessive traffic in the system.

How to Find the Right Data Masking Software

On this page, we offer a comparison engine to help you compare data masking software by their features, prices, user reviews, and more.

1. When selecting a data masking software, it is important to consider the specific needs of your organization. Depending on the type of data that you are trying to protect, different solutions may be better suited for your business.
2. Start by evaluating the types and formats of data that need to be masked. Does the software offer masking methods for these types? Also look into what level of security each solution provides; does it include encryption or hashing which can help keep sensitive data secure? Does it allow granular control over who can access or modify the masked data?
3. Next, ask yourself how much time and resource will be needed to set up and maintain the system. Consider any additional hardware or software infrastructure requirements such as advanced storage capabilities or integration with other enterprise systems. Also make sure that the platform is compatible with other existing solutions in operation within your business.
4. Finally, think about scalability: can this system handle large amounts of data processing efficiently and quickly, especially during peak periods? Does it provide flexibility when expanding operations or onboarding new personnel? Overall, select a solution that adequately meets your needs while enabling future growth.

Who Uses Data Masking Software?

• IT Security Specialists: Individuals who are responsible for ensuring the safety and security of computer systems. These individuals use masking tools to protect sensitive data that may be vulnerable to malicious attacks.
• Financial Professionals: Banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions rely on data masking software in order to ensure that customer information remains secure.
• Healthcare Providers: Data masking helps to protect healthcare records from unauthorized access as well as ensures compliance with privacy laws.
• Businesses: Companies use data masking software to protect their customers’ personal information from being exposed when sharing confidential data with partners or vendors.
• Government Agencies: Governments use data masking tools for a variety of reasons, such as protecting national security information or preventing cyber-attacks.
• Researchers: Scientists and researchers use data masking tools in order to prevent personal or private information from being revealed during their experiments or studies.
• Law Enforcement Personnel/Investigators: Investigators working on sensitive cases rely on data masking tools in order to conceal identities while gathering evidence or conducting interviews.

Data Masking Software Pricing

The cost of data masking software can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, including the size and scope of the project, the type and complexity of the software needed, and the number of users or applications that need access to the data. Generally speaking, these costs range from hundreds to thousands of dollars for simple implementation with limited user access or databases up to tens of thousands for enterprise level solutions. Additionally, software maintenance fees, training fees, and additional licensing fees may be required for certain types of systems. It is important to get several quotes from different vendors in order to find a solution that meets your needs and fits within your budget.

Types of Software that Data Masking Software Integrates With

Data masking software can integrate with many different types of software, such as databases and business intelligence systems. It can also integrate with custom-built applications, web portals, ERPs and other enterprise software. Additionally, data masking software may be able to integrate with identity and access management solutions like single sign-on to help protect and secure sensitive information from unauthorized users. Other integration points could include data warehouses, cloud storage systems and more.