Spotlight on compliance

Everyone from DBAs to CIOs has cited compliance as a top priority for businesses this year -- compliance legislation affects every part of IT operations. How can you ensure that your company is complying with regulatory standards? Do your data management techniques need improving? Are there holes in your security strategy? Are your patches up to date? Is your Oracle software up to snuff? Is there enough room in your budget to tackle all these concerns? Throughout this month, SearchOracle.com examined the impact that compliance has on your world. This special report compiles news, analysis, white papers and expert advice on this topic, including breaking articles and content from our archives, to help you face the challenges ahead.

• Is MDM all hype?: The new emphasis on master data management (MDM) technology and how it can aid with compliance and other issues isn't resonating with everyone. Does MDM really warrant the hype?
  
• DAMA attendees share trends in the trenches: Semantics, universal data models and compliance are transforming data management, according to data professionals at a recent Data Management Association (DAMA) event.
  
• Wrangling the data behemoth: Regulatory compliance and business intelligence issues are driving explosive growth in the amount of data that enterprises keep, access and secure.
  
• Data management market heats up: Thanks to compliance concerns, scattered data and integration difficulties, the market for master data management will exceed $10 billion, according to IDC.
  
• Locking down your sensitive Oracle data: Every company says that securing its databases is a priority, but almost every one that Kenny Smith has seen has unwittingly left a door open to attack. Smith discusses security in this Q&A.
  
• Compliance becomes best practice -- everywhere: Compliance policies are now driving data retention decisions even in unregulated businesses, analysts say.
  

• NEW! Regulatory compliance and the DBA: What you need to know: Top of mind in business executives today is how to meet regulatory compliance and corporate governance. New laws are changing the way companies collect, retain and manage information. DBAs need to understand what is happening in the corporate business world and how it will directly impact their job role.
  
• Career building through compliance: Compliance can be good for your career. Just ask this former DBA turned IT manager.
  
• CIO priorities: 2006 to-do lists: Your job description is changing this year. Business alignment is no longer good enough. 2006 is all about giving business an edge.
  
• Compliance gets more expensive for IT budgets: A new study shows IT spending has increased to keep up with the growing demands of Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations. Analysts say it may lead to other project cancellations.
  
• Deloitte: Value, compliance among top 10 challenges for CIOs: Deloitte consultants have found 10 challenges and opportunities that are most pressing for CIOs in 2005.
  
• How CIOs are rebounding from compliance shock: This white paper describes how the impact of regulatory compliance continues to resonate across the CIO landscape on business and technology frontiers alike.
  

• NEW! Analyst: Oracle lags behind SAP on compliance: SAP is way ahead of Oracle in the race to offer customers a comprehensive compliance strategy, according to one industry observer.
  
• NEW! New Oracle BI tool adds color to compliance efforts: Oracle offers up details about its new Daily Business Intelligence for Compliance software.
  
• Collaborate '06 Preview: IOUG's Kaplan on RAC, security, mobility and more: IOUG president Ari Kaplan explains what's on tap for the Collaborate '06 Oracle users' conference in Nashville.
  
• GridApp offers DBAs a little Clarity: New software from GridApp Systems promises to make it easier for DBAs to manage multiple database platforms.
  
• Suppliers must look beyond RFID compliance, analyst says: Companies dabbling with RFID technology to meet compliance mandates must invest in a project for the long term to find a return on investment (ROI), according to an analyst at the Boston-based Yankee Group.
  
• Oracle boosts Sarbanes-Oxley offerings: Oracle released the latest version of its Internal Controls Manager, a module within E-Business Suite that addresses Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
  
• OPatch, wherefore art thou?: You think the Oracle patching utility installed the latest critical patches, but you may still be vulnerable -- and non-compliant with federal regulations.
  
• New vendor group tackles compliance issues: Oracle is a leading member of the newly created CMEI Working Group, whose goal is to assist customers in creating a global framework for managing electronic information.
  
• Concerns about quarterly security patches: In this expert response, our installation, upgrades and patch expert discusses the necessity of applying patches for regulatory compliance.
  
• Why and how fax-document management plays a central role in enterprise compliance strategies: Document management for fax is a non-negotiable component of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations. This white paper addresses the challenges associated with fax, strategies for complying with document management regulations and more.