VMware

Security Providers Leverage VMsafe to Protect the Virtual Datacenter

Many third-party IT security vendors are developing new solutions that will leverage VMsafe to protect the virtual datacenter that is not possible in a traditional IT environment, delivering benefits such as:

  • Scalable agent-free antivirus protection.
  • Visibility and continuous protection for virtual networks.
  • Secure live migration of virtual machines and virtual storage with VMotion.

Read below to learn more about the security solutions made possible through VMsafe.

Agent-Free Antivirus Protection for Virtual Machines and VMware ESX Hosts

With VMsafe, security vendors can create a single virtual appliance or "protection engine" that simultaneously guards all the virtual machines on an ESX host against computer viruses. This antivirus virtual appliance can leverage VMsafe to gain visibility over online and offline virtual machine disk files, and to eliminate any viruses it finds without the need to install a software agent on each individual virtual machine.

By implementing antivirus virtual appliances that leverage the VMsafe API, VMware customers can:

  • Strengthen security by running antivirus scans on both online and offline virtual machines.
  • Streamline administration by eliminating the need to install antivirus agents on individual virtual machines.
  • Free up physical resources by maintaining only a single copy of the antivirus signature.
  • Keep antivirus tools isolated from the network and from other virtual machines to prevent malware from tampering with security measures.

Scalable, Integrated Network Security for Virtual Machines

VMsafe allows security providers to develop virtual appliances that monitor and control network traffic to and from virtual machines, even for traffic that never touches a physical network.

The VMsafe approach allow customer to manage virtual network activity just as they do with traditional network tools, and increases scalability by making it possible to implement a distributed set of virtual appliances instead of a single expensive hardware appliance. By implementing network security virtual appliances that leverage the VMsafe API, VMware customers can:

  • Control and monitor all virtual machine network activity.
  • Customize network security policies for individual virtual machines.
  • Monitor more networks while avoiding security bottlenecks and chokepoints.

Stateful Protection for Virtual Machines in Motion

In addition, security solutions that work with VMsafe are fully compatible with VMware VMotion. This means that when a virtual machine is migrated from one ESX host to another, the security virtual appliance on the destination host can be updated to reflect the security state and policies of the source host, allowing for continuous stateful protection.
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