Analytics based on Big Data logic is actively spreading to diverse areas of application. One of the dimensions that can be associated with the new technological frontier of analytics is safety and security. Organizations have difficulty bringing together all of their data onto a single Big Data platform for analysis because of security concerns. But, the big data techniques can in fact give companies the ability to counter threats in an innovative way, which may be exposed in the digital world.

Sqrrl, a Big Data startup founded by the ex-NSA engineers, is creating an ultra-secure and super-scalable database technology for large corporations, based on open source database software known as Accumulo. Sqrrl’s CTO and Co-Founder, Adam Fuchs, provided us a whiteboard explanation with Wikibon’s Chief Analyst and Co-Founder, Dave Vellante, on creating fine-grained security for Big Data environments, with further details on how Sqrrl tackles the challenge of bringing security to the Big Data application ecosystem. Full video below.

Fuchs explained that Sqrrl cell-level security capabilities can overcome Big Data security issues by applying access controls to every data object. These controls can be integrated with application’s authorization systems, user attributes, internal information, system security policies, auditing and enterprise authentication.

Sqrrl’s CTO demonstrated one example that showed how cell-level approach to security can grant or refuse access to individual elements of information within the Sqrrl database. This element stores a logical combination of security labels and every time a query is run, the labels must be satisfied in order for the key and value to be returned as part of a user request. That means that multiple users or applications at a company can have multiple levels of access to the data. Multiple users can enter the same query, but different results are returned based on their access rights.

Sqrrl Enterprise also includes key management system to store the encryption keys and all information processed within Sqrrl Enterprise are logged and recorded for compliance, security, and forensics purposes.

Fuchs further said that Sqrrl provides a complete ecosystem of security where enterprises can get labeling mechanism, policies engine, access to key management system, access to auditing database, and a great API for developing secured apps.