Addressing information protection and control (IPC) is a complex challenge. Today, nearly all corporate information exists in electronic form, typically stored in databases, so any IPC strategy requires enterprises to start by securing their databases. Database security represents a preemptive approach to preventing enterprise data theft and regulatory compliance infractions. This IDC white paper presents the benefits to enterprises adopting a preemptive approach to IPC, the internal threats to business information, the impact of government regulations on the protection of data, and highlights how Oracle provides database security products that enterprises can leverage to protect themselves from costly data breaches.