Securing Virtual Environments Shouldn't be an Afterthought

Portability, versatility, efficiency, and cost effectiveness — these are just a few of the advantages of moving to virtualized environments. Virtualization allows enterprises to shift datacenters full of equipment down to a just a few servers. A smaller footprint means less power consumption, lowered cost of ownership, and less overhead. Too often, though, enterprises neglect security when it comes to implementing virtualization. Securing virtual environments has become an afterthought.

“Smart” Doesn’t Mean “Secure”

Prior to 1975, there was no such thing as a smart home. Prior to 1985, all radio systems were analog. Prior to 1990, all phone systems were analog. Prior to 1974, all utility metering was analog. But all of that has changed; we now live in a digital world. 1’s and 0’s “run” our lives, and picking up an analog landline phone (POTS) is virtually a thing of the past. The new “hotness” is smart everything. Smart cars, smart phones, smart TVs, smart homes, and now smart grids.