How TiDB Cloud Protects Your Data by Design and Simplifies Compliance
With cyber threats growing in scale and sophistication, Indian enterprises, like their global counterparts, are facing increasing pressure to safeguard sensitive data while staying compliant with changing regulations. Besides, emerging data localisation requirements place increased emphasis on securing critical infrastructure. With the introduction of data protection laws like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, safeguarding data has become more crucial than ever. Additionally, geopolitical risks have made data management even more complex. Against this backdrop, a strong foundational approach to security is essential, particularly as India undergoes digital transformation. In an interview with AIM, Bhanu Jamwal, head of India Business at TiDB, discussed the company’s approach to data security and compliance, as the country pursues its ambitious $1 trillion digital economy vision. Organisations, especially in sectors like SaaS, Fintech, and Web3, can no longer afford to treat security as an afterthought. These industries manage vast amounts of sensitive data, making them prime cyberattack targets. Neglecting security exposes organisations to risks like data breaches, compliance failures, and significant financial costs for damage control. As organizations scale, their databases become the beating heart of their operations, storing everything from customer information and transaction records to business intelligence and operational metrics. The database layer represents both the foundation of growth and the most critical vulnerability point in any organization’s infrastructure. A single database compromise can expose millions of customer records, halt business operations, and destroy years of built reputation overnight. Database security is paramount because databases concentrate an organization’s most valuable assets in one place. Unlike other system components that might contain fragments of information, databases hold complete customer profiles, financial transactions, intellectual property, and strategic business data. This concentration makes them high-value targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously making any security failure catastrophic in scope. Modern regulations like GDPR, SOX, and PCI-DSS specifically target database security practices, meaning that inadequate protection doesn’t just risk data loss—it guarantees hefty compliance penalties and legal consequences. To support this rapid growth, a robust data infrastructure that is both scalable and inherently secure is essential. TiDB, an open-source distributed SQL database developed by PingCAP, revolutionizes data management by seamlessly handling both OLTP and OLAP workloads in a single unified system. Designed for horizontal scalability, it effortlessly scales from gigabytes to petabytes while maintaining high availability through automatic failover and multi-replica storage. The platform ensures strong data consistency using the Raft consensus algorithm and delivers exceptional resilience with self-healing capabilities and intelligent traffic routing. TiDB enables real-time analytics by running complex queries directly on live transactional data, eliminating the need for separate ETL processes. Its cloud-native architecture and SQL compatibility make it ideal for AI workloads, providing the scalable, consistent foundation required for machine learning applications, model training, and feature stores. Its architecture incorporates several security features to ensure data integrity, availability, and privacy. TiDB uses Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for data at rest, Transport Layer Security (TLS) for secure data transmission, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to manage user permissions. While these built-in security measures are essential, many organisations, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), face challenges in adopting AI-driven security tools. Hence, balancing traditional and emerging security technologies is crucial for resilient cybersecurity measures. Security from the Ground Up In the digital age, many companies prioritise functionality, speed, and user experience over robust security measures, often treating security as an afterthought. This approach is primarily driven by pressures to meet market demands, reduce time-to-market, and cut costs. Recognising these challenges, TiDB Cloud integrates security into its core architecture rather than layering it on later. “Database security is paramount as breaches can lead to devastating financial losses and reputational damage. TiDB ensures stringent security through comprehensive measures, including Zero Trust architecture, end-to-end encryption, role-based access control (RBAC), and multi-factor authentication,” said Jamwal. He added that TiDB Cloud simplifies compliance with global standards like GDPR by offering robust encryption, data protection measures, audit capabilities, role-based access control, and real-time monitoring. “These features help organisations meet regulatory requirements, reduce compliance risks, and ensure secure, transparent data handling in diverse cloud environments.” TiDB Cloud is also compliant with major industry standards, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA, ensuring alignment with best practices in data security and privacy. These certifications demonstrate TiDB Cloud’s dedication to safeguarding sensitive information across diverse environments. Building on this foundation, TiDB also integrates its security practices within the TiDB Trust Hub, which focuses on fostering trust with customers, partners, and employees. The Trust Hub is rooted in the Zero Trust architecture. This model reduces risks and enhances transparency and control over security and compliance efforts, helping to strengthen customer confidence and mitigate potential risks. Streamlining Security Through Automation and Compliance The manual process of managing complex data systems often leads to human error, resulting in missed security vulnerabilities or compliance violations. Evolving privacy regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA, create pressure to secure sensitive data and demonstrate compliance, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. In the absence of real-time monitoring, unauthorised access or breaches may occur without detection until it is too late, thereby exacerbating the damage. TiDB addresses these challenges with an array of automated security and compliance features. Automating encryption, access control, and audit logging reduces the risk of human error and operational overhead. Built-in compliance features such as TDE, TLS, and RBAC ensure that sensitive data is protected while adhering to regulations like GDPR. Moreover, TiDB offers real-time event visibility through integrations with monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana, providing businesses with immediate insights into any suspicious activity. TiDB eliminates the need for patchwork security solutions, reducing vulnerabilities and minimising the risk of human error. With proactive monitoring and real-time breach detection, TiDB empowers businesses to respond swiftly and effectively, preventing security incidents from escalating. As security becomes an inherent part of the system, not an afterthought, it provides businesses with peace of mind, knowing their data is protected from the ground up. Talk to the team to see how TiDB Cloud fits your security and compliance strategy.
TiDB Cloud integrates security into its core architecture rather than layering it on later.
TiDB Cloud integrates security into its core architecture rather than layering it on later.
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["AI", "machine learning", "ML", "analytics", "Aim", "Ray", "RAG", "AWS", "R", "SQL"]
I hold a degree in political science, and am interested in how AI and online culture intersect. I am at aditi.suresh@analyticsindiamag.com &amp; x.com/aditisuresh12