Virtualisation forming key part of IT security plans
Virtualisation forming key part of IT security plans
Virtualisation is now becoming sufficiently prevalent that businesses' IT departments are starting to build it into their security considerations.
The latest State of the Endpoint study from the Ponemon Institute questioned 688 information and security managers regarding their security strategy and budgets and discovered that more and more organisations are offering virtualisation support, with VMware and Microsoft's Hyper-V identified as the most popular software platforms.
Fortunately, the majority (55 per cent) of those questioned acknowledged the need for additional security measures with the introduction of virtualised software. However, it does seem that more discussion is required in-house to decide how best to implement this security. The survey found that 41 per cent of people believe responsibility for virtualisation security is not clearly defined by departments or functions.
Indeed, there was quite a split revealed, with 21 per cent reckoning that IT security was responsible, 15 per cent stating that IT operations was accountable and 11 per cent of the opinion that IT compliance should be doing the job.
But with 48 per cent of those questioned reporting an increase in IT operating expenses, virtualisation's popularity is likely to continue to improve, despite the additional security requirements. This thanks to the constant evolution of IT as businesses become aware of the need to implement a flexible platform that will allow them to keep up with their competitors.
While the delivery of this system could see a spike in operating costs initially, the longer-term cost savings can be substantial, with even local councils predicting annual savings of over £1 million through the use of virtualisation and cloud computing.
Businesses looking to move services into virtualised platforms, should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network as well as monitoring their organisation's IT security.
