Security specialists McAfee, has compiled a package of applications that can protect both virtual IT environments and physical systems. The offered solution, called McAfee Total Protection for Virtualization is the industry’s most comprehensive so far. Unlike vendors that address only one aspect of securing virtualized environments, McAfee offers security and compliance solutions for both physical and virtualization environments that are scalable, centrally managed, customizable, and comprehensive—spanning servers, networks, and desktops.

Through virtualization, hardware components such as processors, random access memory and hard drives can be used simultaneously from multiple servers. This thus enables companies to make better use of infrastructure, helps them to reduce hardware costs, increases operational efficiency and simplifies implementation processes.
The new application package from McAfee ensures that both virtual machines in use and stocked images are safe. Thus, businesses can tap the full potential of virtualization technology without exposing themselves to risks.

"Within the next five years about half of the server load will be handled by virtual systems," says Neil MacDonald, Vice President and Fellow at the market research firm Gartner. "But the awareness of the related risks is low. However, appropriate safeguards have to be from the beginning part of a virtual system and not implemented only in retrospect."

Comprehensive protection of virtual systems

McAfee Total Protection for Virtualization is a comprehensive and scalable solution that covers in addition to physical servers, desktop computers and networks, virtual systems as well. The advantages of the solution:

Complete security:

Multilevel protection of virtual machines against malware, rootkits, bots, spam, exploiting the weaknesses of the system, data loss, espionage and more

Low costs:

efficient operation through time-and resource-saving management of the solution via a uniform control panel and automatic updates

Better compliance:

less complex and more effective compliance with regulations, thanks to automatic links to reports and compliance tools from McAfee and third-parties.

Driven by energy savings and lower capital expenses, enterprises are increasingly turning to virtualization platforms to more efficiently utilize hardware. They are hoping to benefit in other ways as well: higher availability of resources, better desktop management, improved disaster recovery, and higher efficiencies. And yet, most organizations that deploy virtualization have no formal strategy for securing virtualized environments which is irresponsible.

The threats to virtual environments extend well beyond the security risks of physical systems—not only are virtual systems susceptible to the same threats as physical systems, they are also vulnerable to additional threats that exploit virtualization platforms. So it’s high time that McAfee offers comprehensive security for virtualized environments so that enterprises can safely benefit from virtualization.

McAfee’s security solutions for virtualized environments provide the following features:

  • On-access scanning for spyware and malware
    Prevent malware, rootkits, spyware, bots, Trojans and other unwanted programs from installing and spreading; McAfee technology examines threat behaviour and quickly stops known and undiscovered threats before they can compromise your security.
  • Protection for offline virtual images
    Eliminate frantic patching and updating by automatically scanning, cleaning, and fully securing virtual images with updated signatures while offline, to ensure that the system images pose no security threat when brought back online.
  • Zero-day threat protection
    Block unwanted activity and proactively protect against known and unknown threats. This solution combines signature and behavioural intrusion prevention system (IPS) protection with firewall and application control.
  • Access protection rules
    Prevent changes to files, registry keys, and utilities within virtual machines, and McAfee's patented behavior-based technology prevents hackers from inserting malicious code into systems during buffer-overflow attacks.
  • Single management console
    Keep protection up to date, configure and enforce compliance with protection policies, and monitor security status 24/7, all from one centralized, web-based console
  • Compliance verification
    Use robust and flexible policy auditing capabilities to find and report vulnerabilities, service misconfigurations, and policy violations on all your endpoints.

McAfee Total Protection for Virtualization includes the following components:

  • McAfee VirusScan Enterprise andMcAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Linux: protection against viruses, worms and other malicious software in real time
  • McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Offline Virtual Images: first and only solution that checks, repairs and upgrades virtual machines before the images are back-upped in the system
  • McAfee AntiSpyware Enterprise: detection, preventive blocking and removing of spyware and other unwanted programs
  • McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention for servers: prevention of known and novel ("zero day") burglary attempts by a combination of signature and anomaly detection, firewall and application monitoring
  • McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator: only platform on which the security settings for both physical and virtual systems from a central console can be made.