Overview

This section gives an overview of the product and explains the general principles of application security.

This chapter covers the following topics:

Product Overview
General Security Principles

Product Overview

Oracle Pedigree and Serialization Manager (OPSM) is an application that enables companies to manage serialization of products and share serialized product data across the supply chain. OPSM can integrate with your existing manufacturing, shipping, and receiving transactional systems, Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS), or it can operate as a standalone application. OPSM can support multiple transactional or EBS systems integrated to a single instance of OPSM. The multiple transactional or EBS systems may be multiple instances managed within your company or systems managed by your manufacturing and logistics partners.

For more information on OPSM, see the Oracle Pedigree and Serialization Manager Process Guide.

For more information on the integration between OPSM and EBS, see the Oracle Serialization and Tracking Integration Pack for Oracle Pedigree and Serialization Manager and Oracle E-Business Suite 3.1 - Implementation Guide.

General Security Principles

The following principles are fundamental to using any application securely.

Keep Software Up To Date

One of the principles of good security practice is to keep all software versions and patches up to date.

Restrict Network Access to Critical Services

Keep both the application middle-tier and the database behind a firewall. In addition, place a firewall between the middle-tier and the database. The firewalls provide assurance that access to these systems is restricted to a known network route, which can be monitored and restricted, if necessary. As an alternative, a firewall router substitutes for multiple, independent firewalls.

If firewalls cannot be used, be certain to configure the TNS Listener Valid Node Checking feature which restricts access based upon IP address. Restricting database access by IP address often causes application client/server programs to fail for DHCP clients. To resolve this, consider using static IP addresses, a software/hardware VPN or Windows Terminal Services or its equivalent.

Follow the Principle of Least Privilege

The principle of least privilege states that users should be given the least amount of privilege to perform their jobs. Over ambitious granting of responsibilities, roles, grants, etc., especially early on in an organization’s life cycle when people are few and work needs to be done quickly, often leaves a system wide open for abuse. User privileges should be reviewed periodically to determine relevance to current job responsibilities.

Monitor System Activity

System security stands on three legs: good security protocols, proper system configuration, and system monitoring. Auditing and reviewing audit records address this third requirement. Each component within a system has some degree of monitoring capability.

Oracle Pedigree and Serialization Manager (OPSM) provides auditing capabilities. Using OPSM you can audit the changes or activity that occur to serial date in the OPSM database.

For more information on auditing, see the Oracle Pedigree and Serialization Manager Process Guide.

Keep Up To Date on Latest Security Information

Oracle continually improves its software and documentation.