Overcoming Performance Obstacles in XML Encryption

In times of data leakage, hacker attacks, trojan horses, and various other data security threats, efficient and effective data encryption has becomes a critical requirement for many enterprises. This need applies to XML as much as to most other forms of data.

Intel and IBM have collaborated to demonstrate that a combination of modern hardware and software can perform effective encryption with very high efficiency.

In particular, the latest Intel Xeon E5 and E7 processor families provide AES-NI, which is a set of new instructions in the Intel Xeon processor that help accelerate encryption, decryption, key generation, matrix manipulation, and carry-less multiplication.

A joint benchmark has measured the performance impact of encrypting and decrypting XML data in DB2 9.7 using the IBM InfoSphere Guardium Data Encryption capabilities on the Intel Xeon E5 platform.

The results of the TPoX benchmark show that full encryption can be performed for a read/write XML transaction processing application with less than 4% overhead. This is a fantastic result.

More information on these tests and on the technologies and products used, is available here:

http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/overcoming-performance-obstacles-in-data-encryption

http://software.intel.com/sites/default/files/m/d/4/1/d/8/IBM_DMM_Intel_AES_Vormetric_FINAL.pdf

http://ibmdatamag.com/2012/05/overcoming-performance-obstacles-in-data-encryption/

XML from Vegas to Berlin!

I’m in Las Vegas right now, this glittering and crazy city in Nevada! Las Vegas is once again the location for IBM’s annual Information On Demand (IOD) conference, which is starting today!

IOD is the premier IBM event for Information Management software, including DB2, Informix, Netezza, Cognos, Big Data, SPSS, Content Maagement, and other product areas. The conference program is very diverse and has something for everyone. At IOD you can choose from more than 1500 sessions and 100+ hands-on labs.

Not surprisingly, XML continues to be an important topic for information management, and there are various XML-related sessions at IOD. In particular, I’m looking forward to the following sessions where some of IBM’s customers are sharing their success stories with DB2 pureXML:

Session 3674A:
IBM pureXML in Financial Applications: Experiences From Vanguard
Mon, Oct 22, 201, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Speakers: George White and Milton Beaver, The Vanguard Group

Sessio 1284B:
IBM DB2 and XML: Excellent Opportunity or Extra Problems? Are You Ready?
Mon, Oct 22, 2012, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Speaker: Kurt Struyf, suadasoft

Session 1613A:
How to Get Warehouse-Type Performance With XML Tables
Wed, Oct 24, 2012, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Speaker: Ray Sippel, BJC HealthCare

Additionally, you can get hands-on experience with XML on DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows and DB2 for z/OS in the following hands-on labs:

Lab 1255A
Beyond SQL With IBM DB2 10: Maintaining and Querying XML Data and RDF Stores
Thu, Oct 25, 2012, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Lab 1314A
New Features in IBM DB2 10 for z/OS Improve Development Productivity (including XML features)
Mon, Oct 22, 2012, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

If you can’t be in Las Vegas this week (maybe because you’re on the other side of the globe?), how would Berlin work for you?!

The annual European conference of the International DB2 User Group (IDUG) is coming up in Berlin, Germany, on November 4 to 9, 2012. For a number of years there hasn’t been an IDUG conference without any XML sessions, and the same is true this year. Here are some presentations that can you see in Berlin:

“An XML Document’s Life – Dr. Node!”
Speaker: Terri Grissom, BMC Software
Wed, Nov 07, 2012, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

“Breaking the Relational Limit with pureXML in DB2 for z/OS”
Speaker: Mengchu Cai, IBM Silicon Valley Lab
Tue, Nov 06, 2012, 01:00 PM – 02:00 PM

“How to Design a Hybrid XML/Relational Database Schema”
Speaker: Matthias Nicola, IBM Silicon Valley Lab
Tue, Nov 06, 2012, 02:15 PM – 03:15 PM

I hope to see you either in Vegas or in Berlin! Enjoy your conference!