IBM Unveils Data-Masking Technology

IBM has released a "proof-of-concept" technology called Magen (Masking Gateway for Enterprises), designed to mask and protect sensitive data. It is useful in industries such as healthcare where files and sensitive data are stored electronically. When the files or records are requested in the system, the software treats the information as a picture and uses optical character recognition to identify information the administrator has identified as confidential. That information is then masked so it will not appear on the user's screen. Unlike earlier types of similar software, this software does not copy, change, or process the data in any way. It is designed to work with existing applications so clients do not have to make any changes to their current applications.