IBM recently introduced software for securing each layer of the
infrastructure of a virtual server.
The Virtual Server Security product is built for VMware's vSphere
platform for data center virtualization. The infrastructure
software is capable of providing the foundation for private and
public cloud computing environments.
Within the vSphere platform, IBM's latest offering secures the
hypervisor, operating system, network applications, server-based
virtual desktops, virtual machines, and the data traffic among
them. The IBM software integrates with VMware's VMsafe, which is
the application programming interface provided by the vendor for
its security partners.
The automatic protection features within Virtual Server Security
include control of network access from a virtual server, rootkit
detection and prevention, virtual infrastructure monitoring and
reporting, and autodiscovery and virtual network segment
protection.
"For data center managers needing security solutions for their
virtualized environments, the combination of IBM Virtual Server
Security for VMware, together with VMware vSphere, can provide
better visibility and control of data down to the finest granular
level, preempting threats before they materialize," Shekar Ayyar,
VP of infrastructure alliances for VMware, said in a statement.
The software is scheduled to be available next month.
Virtualization is found throughout many data centers and is rapidly
moving onto users' desktops. The technology is used to cut hardware
upgrade costs by consolidating more servers in a single box. In
addition, virtualization simplifies administration from central
servers and can provide a company's employees with the desktops
they prefer.
However, security and I/O performance caused by running a lot of
VMs on one server remain weaknesses that need more attention from
vendors. Nevertheless, Forrester Research predicts that 45 percent
of servers in data centers will be virtualized this year.