A HOLISTIC FRAMEWORK FOR DATABASE SECURITY GOVERNANCE: INTEGRATING POLICIES, ACCESS CONTROLS, AND CONTINUOUS AUDITING FOR REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Database security governance remains a critical challenge in an era of escalating cyber threats and stringent regulatory mandates. This study proposes a holistic framework that integrates organizational policies, granular access controls, and continuous auditing mechanisms to achieve sustainable regulatory compliance. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research analyzes a realistic dataset derived from 500 enterprise databases across financial and healthcare sectors, incorporating log data. Key findings reveal that organizations implementing the integrated framework reduced compliance violations by 68% and detected unauthorized access attempts 42% faster than traditional approaches. The framework's modular design enables adaptability to evolving regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and emerging AI governance standards. Statistical analysis demonstrates significant correlations between audit frequency and risk reduction (r = 0.87, p < 0.001). The study contributes a replicable governance model that bridges theoretical constructs with practical implementation, offering actionable insights for database administrators and compliance officers in high-stakes environments.