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The threats are rising. Organizations are panicking. People are losing all trust in virtualization capabilities. Okay, so these might be an exaggeration, however, the truth remains that our virtual abilities are constantly at risk and the need for virtualization security is growing each day.
The development of virtualization security is derived from our ever-increasing need for virtualization. The potential is limitless with this incredible technology, and so are the risks.
Security Investments Increasing
Fortunately, many organizations are investing significant moneys to develop and increase the security capabilities of these virtual networks. They have to. Virtualization has become such a vital part of any organization that needs to share and communicate its information with anybody, anywhere.
Try the Simple Things First
Often times the security of virtualization can be prevented by simply rectifying the flaws of the primary software. All software has flaws. The risks are heavily associated with these flaws and are exploited by those trying to overtake them. Usually, the flaws are simple things; just overlooked.
One of the main things that companies and organizations can do to ensure the security of their virtual networks and programs is to invest in the maintenance and reparation of these initial and primary tools. Some people are under the assumption that most security issues are caused by something major, when the reality is that it’s usually the result of a simple and basic procedure that was overlooked.
Here are a few basic tips to follow to ensure a more secure virtual environment:
- Only keep what you really need on the host machine.
- Make sure that your operating system and all applications are up to date.
- Keep each individual virtual machine isolated by installing firewalls.
- Remember that virtual machines are at risk of viruses, just like physical machines. This means that good antivirus software should be used and kept up to date.
- Keep accounts on the host machine secure to prevent unauthorized access.
- If possible, try not to share IP addresses as this can attract problems easier.
Example of Risk Involved
One of the primary tools of virtualization, for example, is called presentation virtualization, which allows organizations to virtually communicate information to remote parties. Presentation virtualization is one tool that must be secure. If outside parties were able to connect with these confidential sessions, the results for that company or organization could be disastrous.
Understanding the importance of virtualization security has helped motivate us, as a technological world, to increase our efforts to develop the best technologies possible for our virtual needs.
About the Author: The post was contributed by Fred Wiser, a virtualization blogger from Detroit. Fred frequently covers topics such as virtual machine security, desktop virtualization, IT as a service, as well as a wide variety of other tech topics from the latest in computer software to the best smartphones on the market.
