Providing accurate and timely access to information, satisfying regulatory compliance requirements, passing internal and external audits, protecting privacy related information, securing applications and databases are just a few of the demands placed on today's IT executive. Traditional approaches to security have relied on the application to enforce access control for application users, the database administrator to maintain both database and application availability and network routers and firewalls to restrict access to the database and application. While problems such as the insider threat are certainly not new, the potential for abuse has never been greater due to amount of sensitive information being collected and the willingness of criminal organizations and individuals to pay for such information. The nature of the information threat today requires  ore sophisticated security mechanisms within the database. However, security technologies are efficient only if they can be automated, transparent, provide flexible and adaptable preventions, and provide detection through audit and reporting. Database Vault meets these key requirements for security, providing automation, transparency, prevention and detection through an innovative approach to security similar to the bank vault safe deposit box.