Making sense of the Virtualization Security Players (Updated)

The known virtualization security vendors Reflex Systems, Catbird Security, Altor Networks, HyTrust, Symantec, Trend Microsystems, Tripwire, and VMware all showed their wares at VMworld. Even Checkpoint was showing off their firewall integration within the virtualized environment. Are these really competing products or products that have unique uses within the virtual environment with just a bit of overlap?

News: XenDesktop 4 – Fulfilling the promise of an Enterprise Desktop

Today Citrix announced the release of XenDesktop 4, their next generation Virtual Desktop solution with the promise of being able to deliver a right sized desktop to any user in an organization. Along with 70 enhancements and new features, Citrix is positioning XenDesktop as the most flexible and open architecture solution supporting all types of client devices and hypervisors including Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESX and vSphere.

Regulatory Compliance, Slowly Catching up with Virtualization

As of this writing just a few of the regulatory compliance groups are working to encompass Virtualization. However, they are not close to anything publishable yet. What does this mean for companies that must enforce regulatory compliance? What does this mean to an auditor? The big question many are asking, is if the Compliance documents to which they must adhere do not mention virtualization, are they compliant when they virtualize? Currently whether you get down checked or not during an audit depends entirely on the auditor’s interpretation of the current non-specific guidelines. In most case its negative as there is no guidance from the compliance groups with regards to virtualization. There are also virtualization security products out there that try to enforce and report upon current compliance guides with respect to virtualization.

News: Akamai Introduces Managed Internet Service for Delivery of Virtualized Applications and Desktops

Akamai Technologies, Inc. announce the industry’s first managed Internet service for optimizing delivery of virtualized applications and desktops. Based on Akamai’s IP Application Accelerator solution this new service is designed to help enterprises realize the cost efficiency, scalability and global reach inherent with the Internet to deliver VDI solutions offered by companies such as Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware.