When it comes to enterprise search systems, one of the biggest concerns is security. This doesn’t come as a surprise because enterprise search systems essentially index company data and make it easily searchable and accessible.

The data in question may contain confidential information, such as financial records, customer data, intellectual property, trade secrets, and strategic plans. Breach of this data can hurt the company's reputation, reveal its vulnerabilities, or, in the worst-case scenario, lead to lawsuits if leaks occur from customers' personal information.

In addition, enterprise search software aims to democratize information access across an organization. This wide access increases opportunities for unauthorized individuals to potentially view sensitive materials.

To complicate things even further, data in enterprise search might come from file shares, databases, cloud services, and more. Each source can have its own security vulnerabilities, thus increasing the system's overall attack surface.

This is why enterprise search security is one of the biggest considerations when implementing this software and something you should always carefully consider.

Enterprise Search Security Measures

Acknowledgment that security is one of the central issues with enterprise search systems has driven the development of comprehensive security protocols designed to address security concerns. These protocols include:

Access Control and Authorization

Organizations often struggle to find the right balance when granting access permissions to their data. Some solutions lack the flexibility to adapt to specific needs, making it difficult to control who sees what. Enterprise search solutions tackle this challenge by offering a customizable model for fine-tuning access. However, having it too customizable will make it unruly and difficult to track and control. 

The best enterprise search solutions will depend on the security settings of the original application or asset so that if things get changed, you only have to change them at the source.

• Role-based access control (RBAC) is used to enforce fine-grained permissions determining who can view what content based on their job function.
• Authentication mechanisms integrate with existing identity systems (e.g., Active Directory, LDAP, SAML) for secure login. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security.
• Result filtering ensures that search results align with user permissions, hiding restricted content.

Data Encryption

Sensitive information needs protection both when it's stored and when it's being transmitted. Some of the best enterprise search systems address this issue by storing data only in working memory (RAM). Data held temporarily in RAM reduces the risk associated with long-term storage on hard drives, where it might be more vulnerable to breaches.

This is opposed to taking ownership of the data on the Enterprise Search Company's servers and needing to protect them in all the same ways the customer company needs to protect theirs. So if you are a company that takes security seriously, you'll need to ensure your vendor has the same level of security.

• Data at rest is encrypted to protect against data breaches, even in the case of direct database access.
• Data in transit is secured using protocols like HTTPS to protect all search communications.

Vulnerability Management

Security measures are not set in stone. Hackers are always getting creative, and new dangers constantly arise. The best way to stay ahead is to take a proactive approach to security. By regularly updating software, scanning for known weaknesses, and simulating attacks, you can identify and fix potential security holes before attackers can exploit them.

Security-centered enterprise search solutions always do the following:

• Regular updates to search software, operating systems, and dependencies with the latest security patches are essential.
• Vulnerability scanning proactively identifies known software weaknesses.
• Penetration testing simulates real-world attack scenarios to uncover and address potential entry points.

Compliance With Security Standards

Beyond the essential security measures, an enterprise search solution must adhere to all relevant legal and regulatory requirements:

Information security standards:

• ISO 27001: An internationally recognized standard for establishing and maintaining an Information Security Management System (ISMS). It outlines requirements for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information in an organization.
• ISO 27701: An extension of ISO 27001, specifically focused on privacy. It provides guidance on how to manage Personally Identifiable Information (PII) within an organization's ISMS.

Privacy regulations:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): A strict  European Union regulation centered on the protection of personal data. It mandates how businesses should collect, process, store, and handle personal data of EU residents.
• CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act): Grants California residents more control over their personal information, including the right to know what data is collected, the right to delete it, and the right to opt out of its sale.
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): A US federal law protecting sensitive patient health information. Sets standards for how this data should be secured and managed.

Audit reports:

• SSAE 18 SOC 1: An audit report evaluating the internal controls at a service organization (like a data center or cloud provider) relevant to financial reporting.
• SSAE 18 SOC 2 Type II: This is a more in-depth audit report focusing on a service organization's security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy controls. It looks at controls over a period of time (usually 6-12 months).
• SSAE 18 SOC 3: This is a less-detailed version of the SOC 2 report, designed for more general public consumption and marketing purposes.

Auditing and Logging:

Auditing and logging in enterprise search translates to tracking user actions, including search queries, what results they click on, and other interactions within the search system. This has several significant benefits:

• Anomaly detection: Detailed logs create a baseline of typical search behavior. Deviations from this baseline could signal malicious activity, such as an attacker attempting to probe the system for sensitive information or a compromised user account being misused.
• Security investigations: If a breach is suspected, these logs act as a forensic tool for investigators to trace back an attacker's steps within the search system, pinpoint what data might have been exposed, and identify the source of the compromise.

Is it Safer to Develop In-House Enterprise Search?

What we've often seen here at Akooda is that businesses often consider building their own in-house enterprise search when faced with the complexity of security measures. Many think that in-house solutions might be safer, but they fail to recognize that enterprise search software solutions have been refined and have specifically focused on security measures.

While the idea of total control over an in-house system is appealing, the security aspect is the last reason to consider it.

Off-the-shelf enterprise search solutions usually have a strong track record of security. They've been tested in the real world, undergoing constant testing and improvement to address any security issues that arise. 

Many of these vendors also have entire teams dedicated to security – they're always keeping an eye out for the latest threats and updating their software accordingly. This level of expertise is hard to match with an in-house team. 

Plus, good enterprise search solutions provide fine-tuned control over who can see what within the system, ensuring everything aligns with your company's specific security rules. Leading providers also understand how important it is to comply with strict regulations. They design their solutions to meet standards like SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR, taking that compliance burden off your shoulders. Finally, they stay on top of potential weaknesses through proactive scanning and patching, stopping problems before they start.

Secure Searching with Akooda

Akooda seamlessly integrates into your existing systems, respecting all current data permissions. This means no unauthorized access to confidential information—if users can't access it normally, they won't see it through Akooda's search either. 

Akooda prioritizes security with top certifications and enterprise-level protection. Strict access controls ensure only the right people can use the platform and our information security program follows the criteria set forth by the SOC 2 Framework.

Additionally, we have a team of people dedicated to testing the security of our systems, and we perform independent third-party penetration at least annually to ensure that the security posture of our services is uncompromised.

If finding the right information quickly and securely is a priority, consider searching with Akooda.