Re: iSeries vs. Unix vs. SQL Server vs. Oracle &Security/Data separation???

[James Rich <james@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nathan M. Andelin wrote:
> Someone must have suggested that multiple platforms are needed for security
> purpose, and you believed them.  That's sad.

Actually two highly respected books on security suggest that mixing 
platforms makes your overall network more secure:  Building Internet 
Firewalls, 2nd Edition and Practical Unix & Internet Security, 3rd 
Edition, both by O'Reilly and Associates.  Of course mixing in a bunch 
of weak machines probably wasn't what they had in mind.

> > But if you can't, then it is not an extremely acceptable
> > method.
>
>
> Isn't the real reason for dividing Web services, applications, and database
> services across multiple tiers in the Wintel world because a single box
> won't handle the workload?  You really haven't shown that it has anything to
> do with security!

The same two volumes suggest the dividing resources as described does 
enhance overall security by not putting all your eggs in one basket - 
even if it is a very strong basket.  Possibly in the wintel world the 
load is too great, but not for real computers.  But load isn't the 
reason given, it is that by increasing the amount of work an attacker 
has to do, you decrease the liklihood that the attack will succeed.  If 
an attacker has to compromise two machines to get your data instead of 
one s/he will likely be more deterred than otherwise.

James Rich