As we move into 2019, we thought we’d share a recap of key announcements supporting our strategic IT priorities. In this blog: all about Networking and security.
These core pillars define our approach to the support we give our customers. At VMware we focus on supporting their digital transformation, from infrastructure through delivery and security to the end-user experience. In this post, we’re looking at transforming networking and security. Furthermore you can read our other posts on modernizing the data center, integrating public cloud and empowering the digital workspace.
Why do we need to transform networking and security? Because we face changing threats – beyond all recognition. But the way we try to combat them came to a standstill. Pat Gelsinger used his VMworld 2018 Europe keynote to explain that security is broken. « You are spending the largest portion of your IT budget on security. And the largest growth of the IT budget in the industry today is security. While the cost and the number of breaches is increasing more rapidly than security spend!”
We’re operating in a hyper-connected world. While it offers opportunities to engage and provide deeper levels of experience, it also offers an increased area for attacks. The way we need our applications and environments to perform – sharing data, moving seamlessly – is rendering traditional castle-wall type approaches redundant.
What does that mean for networking and security? At VMware, it means providing a ubiquitous software layer across data center, cloud and edge infrastructure. This maximises visibility and clarifies the context of the interaction between users, applications and data, helping to identify threats and weaknesses before they can have an impact on operations.
The Virtual Cloud Network, our vision for networking which we announced in May, embodies this. “The future of networking is software. And the network of the future is the Virtual Cloud Network.”, said Rajiv Ramaswami, COO products and cloud services, VMware. “VMware is helping customers today to build tomorrow’s software-defined Virtual Cloud Networks to connect and secure apps and users. And with the new NSX networking and security portfolio, we are helping customers build a Virtual Cloud Network today through a software-based digital business fabric that is flexible, programmable and inherently more secure network.”
Being inherently more secure means being able to identify bad behaviour. And is at the heart of the new approach to networking and security. As Tom Corn, vice president and general manager for security products at VMware, details, you know your business, and what looks right. IT teams need to be able to identify abnormal or unauthorised. Only then can they react accordingly.
As a result of taking this approach, legitimate users don’t have restrictions in how, or what, they want to do. As long as it fits within the parameters of what correct looks like. This is the only way an enterprise can harness the power of digitisation, without overexposure.
This was brought to life by the introduction in the summer of VMware vSphere Platinum, a new edition of vSphere that integrates VMware AppDefense to deliver advanced security capabilities fully integrated into the hypervisor. This makes it easier for administrators to see if hostile workloads are running on their equipment – exactly the sort of visibility we’re talking about when we discuss transforming networking and security.
2018 saw VMware turn twenty. Which means customers and partners get two decades’ worth of experience in every product and service we develop. Through constant interaction and our knowledge of the market, we have a strong conviction that our approach is the right one.
However, external validation is always welcome, which is why we were delighted that VMware NSX SD-WAN by VeloCloud became a leader in the first Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure back in October. Our position: furthest on the Completeness of Vision, fantastic testament to our own VCN vision and our focus on connecting, and securing, IT regardless of where it is.
Having a secure digital infrastructure fit for business today continues to be a priority for our customers, and our work in 2018 is proof of our commitment to delivering that for enterprises.
Want to find out more? Test-drive VMware’s products with the securing application infrastructure Hands-on Lab, and keep your data center safe by downloading VMware’s Dummies guide.
Category: Network & Security
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