Real security for virtual data centers
- TAGS:Altor, virtual machines, virtual switch
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Data Center, Enterprise Apps, Networking, Security
 As the economy worsens, the pressure to consolidate more physical servers into virtual machines to save money will mount. But don't let security be a virtual concept, especially when it comes to the "virtual switch" that connects your virtual machines into a virtual network. They all need real security.
That's the message from Amir Ben-Efraim, CEO of Altor Networks Inc. in Redwood City, Calif. Virtual switches cannot be managed or even detected by most network management tools, he says. And firewalls cannot keep track of changing internal IP addresses, he observes, a phenomenon exacerbated by tools like VMware's VMotion technology that can move virtual machines from one physical server to another dynamically.
This week the company unveiled its Virtual Network Security Analyzer that plugs into VMware's virtual switch and monitors every packet going to and from each VM. And come this summer, Ben-Efraim says, the company will release its Virtual Network Firewall where you can define and enforce policies, such as shutting down multicast traffic or denying P2P protocols on your virtual switch. The Virtual Network Firewall will base its actions from data gathered by Altor's analyzer software. Later this year Altor will offer support for Citrix XenServer. Pricing starts at $500 per physical server for the Security Analyzer and $1,500 for the upcoming firewall.
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