IBM inventors have developed a technique for protecting sensitive data prior to transmitting it to a cloud environment. This could help businesses meet regulatory requirements regarding the handling of sensitive client data.
The patented invention ensures that private or proprietary information is secured before transferring it for processing by cloud computing services. IBM claims that the invention will overcome important barriers to client adoption of cloud computing, as maintaining the privacy and security of sensitive data is frequently cited as one of the main reasons for client anxiety about cloud computing.
Securing sensitive data
IBM’s invention helps overcome security concerns by redacting, removing or replacing sensitive data from records that are being sent to the cloud for processing. It then restores the sensitive data when the records are returned from the cloud.
IBM received U.S. Patent #8,539,597: Securing sensitive data for cloud computing for this invention.
“Patents like this help to solve real-world security challenges that are inhibiting cloud computing growth,” said Josyula Rao, IBM Director of Security Research. “IBM’s investment in research and development is producing innovations that will advance the company’s cloud computing and security leadership.”
The new patent follows IBM’s recent patented method for dynamically managing network bandwidth within a cloud, adding to IBM’s already quite impressive patent portfolio.
