New Db2 V11.5 Mod Pack 5

During the currently ongoing virtual IDUG EMEA 2020 conference IBM released Mod Pack 5 for Db2 11.5. As it is with modification packs, it brings a long list of new features and enhancements to the current version of Db2. You can download this new release and other Db2 versions from the usual Db2 download page. As of this writing, the Db2 Docker image has not been updated.

Not just during Covid-19: Time for data masking

Facial data mask

If you follow common sense or health agency / government instructions, you probably wear at least a basic face mask when mingling with other people. Mostly, this is to protect others from your droplets, possibly with some virus-laden payload. If the mask is more advanced, it is capably of filtering out stuff that may harm you.

Similar to face mask, data masks have been around for a long time. Data masks and face masks share the same purpose, preventing leakage of damaging "tiny bits". In the database system Db2, data masking is already built-in. You only need to apply data masking by defining masks (styling and sewing your own mask) and enabling them (putting it own). Here is how.

IBM Cloud: Considerations for role and resource setup

Solution architecture

Here is a quick follow-up on my recent blog on best practices for the cloud onboarding of enterprise projects. There, I discussed how to use Terraform scripts as blueprint in the onboarding process. Starting with a corporate standard for setting up roles and other security objects, project-specific layers are added later on. The IBM Cloud solution tutorial on applying end to end security to a cloud application served as example. In this blog, I am going to share details on how I mapped project resources to roles.

Terraform: Best practices for the cloud onboarding of enterprise projects

Architecture: End to end security

When onboarding a new project — either on-prem or to a cloud environment — there should be no questions on how to get started. Onboarding should follow an enterprise-defined process based on (internal) standards. It needs to detail access roles and privileges and provide means to implement them.

Recently, in an IBM Cloud blog, I discussed such a project onboarding. Terraform scripts implement the rules as code — they help to automate roll-out and tear down access roles and privileges. The scenario from the solution tutorial "Apply end-to-end security to a cloud application" serves as specific example to proof-point the ideas.

Head over to IBM Cloud and read my blog on "Blueprinting the Onboarding of Cloud Projects Using Terraform".