IBM Acts to Enhance Security of Virtual Environments

ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE:IBM) today introduced IBM Virtual Server Security for VMware vSphere(TM), a software product designed to help organizations secure and protect their virtual server infrastructure. The software will help safeguard virtual server environments and allows businesses a more secure path for transitioning critical assets to virtual enterprise data centers.

The rate of adoption for virtualization is growing as companies consolidate their data centers. IBM has been working with clients to manage this strategic shift and simplify and optimize client infrastructures. While the migration to virtual environments offers many benefits, it also requires businesses to take unique measures to combat the next generation of security threats and compliance challenges. These measures are required because of reduced visibility and control that come with the addition of more information technology layers. Given this changing landscape, traditional security made for physical computing environments becomes inadequate as a sole solution.

The new IBM Virtual Server Security for VMware?? vSphere(TM) helps address these concerns, providing protection for every layer of the virtual infrastructure including the hypervisor, operating system, network, applications, server-based virtual desktops, virtual machine and traffic between virtual machines. By integrating with VMware VMsafe(TM) technology, the new software provides clients with better visibility, security granularity and scalability in their growing virtual data centers.

  Automatic protection features include:
Virtual Network Access Control (VNAC) to limit network access from a virtual server until security posture is confirmed;
rootkit detection and prevention to increase virtual server uptime and availability;
virtual infrastructure monitoring and reporting to identify vulnerabilities;
autodiscovery and virtual network segment protection to provide visibility and control of the virtual infrastructure.

With the data center undergoing dynamic changes, the ability to manage, control and audit the actions of privileged and powerful system users and administrators across traditional and virtual environments becomes even more critical. All of the automatic protection features in the new software product can help clients to more easily meet compliance standards and regulation requirements. Additionally, this new offering complements already formidable IBM capabilities for securing the virtual environment, such as controlling access and monitoring privilege.IBM has leveraged its 40-year virtualization heritage, which includes Research and systems and software experience, to integrate the physical and virtual worlds and create leading virtualization security environments.

"Clients are asking for solutions to secure their data centers as they move from a traditional environment to virtual deployments. To that end, IBM has built this solution based on the feedback of hundreds of customers looking to answer this urgent need," said Brian Truskowski, general manager, IBM Internet Security Systems(TM) (ISS). "As a long-time leader in virtualization security, IBM is uniquely positioned to help clients manage global risk and remain compliant, even as major regulatory groups create new virtualization standards."

"For data center managers needing security solutions for their virtualized environments, the combination of IBM Virtual Server Security for VMware, together with VMware vSphere(TM), can provide better visibility and control of data down to the finest granular level, preempting threats before they materialize," said Shekar Ayyar, vice president, infrastructure alliances, VMware. "The combined solution leveraging VMware VMsafe(TM) is another step forward in helping customers deploy more secure virtual environments."

"Our team and our clients have been anxiously awaiting the new IBM security offering and are excited to round out our virtualization practice area by providing true virtualization security solution to our clients internationally," said Marcel van Eemeren, CEO of ON2IT. "This new solution finally provides cloud-based protection that we can now offer to our customers."

IBM Virtual Server Security for VMware vSphere will be available in December 2009.About IBM

For more information on IBM Virtual Server Security for VMware vSphere, please visit: http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/iss/html/virtualization-security-solutions. html

VMware and VMware vSphere are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.