Tom Gillis Headshot - VMware News and Stories

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/logo_media_thumbnail.jpg

VMware News & Stories

VMware News and Stories

Home

Why CISOs Should Invest More Inside Their Infrastructure

Tom Gillis Headshot

Mobile Threat Defense Hero - VMware News and Stories

VMware Advances Its Anywhere Workspace Platform To Enable Intelligent, Proactive Security for All Employee Devices

Mobile Threat Defense Hero

American soldier in headquarter control center

GettyImages-1146898776 - VMware News and Stories

Defense Information Systems Agency Releases VMware NSX® Security Technical Implementation Guide

GettyImages-1146898776

Bank vault with open door &amp; grill (B&amp;W)

- VMware News and Stories

Modern Bank Heists 5.0: The Escalation from Dwell to Destruction

Female Government Employee Works in a Monitoring Room. In The Background Supervisor Holds Briefing. Possibly Government Agency Conducts Investigation.

public sector innovation - VMware News and Stories

Multi-Cloud for Mission Success

public sector innovation

This problem is going to need everyone's imput

VMware Prevents 100% of Critical Attacks Tested During MITRE Engenuity ATT&#038;CK® Evaluation

Network Security.

VMware Pioneers Modern Security for Modern Applications from Development to Production

Snowboarder Jumping

VMware Wins Gold at 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards

firewall and internet security concept, secured access

MicrosoftTeams-image-16 - VMware News and Stories

Cybercriminals Target Linux-Based Systems With Ransomware and Cryptojacking Attacks

MicrosoftTeams-image-16

Young businesswoman working on desk, logging in to her laptop and holding smartphone on hand with a security key lock icon on the screen. Privacy protection, internet and mobile security concept

Data Privacy Week Stock Image - VMware News and Stories

Strong Security Paves the Path for Data Privacy

Data Privacy Week Stock Image

London Big Ben and traffic on Westminster Bridge

SASE-BT-GettyImages-174726709-copy - VMware News and Stories

VMware SASE Launched by BT as a Managed Service

SASE-BT-GettyImages-174726709-copy

Back View in the System Control Center Operator Working. Multiple Screens Showing Technical Data.

GovCon Wire: Government Security Strategy Zero Trust - VMware News and Stories

GovCon Wire | Zero Trust Should Be Part of Agencies&#8217; Holistic Security Strategy

GovCon Wire: Government Security Strategy Zero Trust

Tom Gillis explores how CISOs should invest in detecting and stopping lateral movement of threats on private and public clouds. 

core/paragraph

Tom Gillis explores how CISOs should invest on detecting and stopping lateral movement of threats on private and public clouds. 

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tom-Gillis.jpg

Posts

Comprehensive Mobile Security with VMware Workspace ONE Mobile Threat Defense

New Update Management Capabilities Helps Automate Windows Device Management

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today unveiled innovations to its anywhere workspace platform, VMware Workspace ONE, that will make it easier for IT teams to manage and better secure all employee devices. New capabilities include:

core/list

“As the frequency and sophistication of threats continue to intensify, IT teams need a way to proactively detect threats across the entire device population and respond quickly. That is a tall order for taxed IT and Sec-Ops teams,” said Shankar Iyer, senior vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. “VMware Workspace ONE is ideally suited for the new security realities of enabling a hybrid workforce. Leveraging intelligence and injecting automation in every step of the process, it simplifies IT operations, improves security against modern threats, and empowers the best employee experience across any device, anywhere.”

Best In Class Security for Mobile Devices

core/heading

Today’s mobile threat landscape is diverse, and mobile workstyles call for specialized protection from phishing and application, device, and rogue network originated threats. VMware Workspace ONE Mobile Threat Defense, a new add-on to the industry-leading Workspace ONE UEM platform, takes mobile protection to the next level. It incorporates mobile security technologies from Lookout, a leader in the space. The solution aims to address:

Application, device, and network protection via Workspace ONE Mobile Threat Defense can be activated within Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub. For IT, this means there are no separate apps or agents to download or deploy, and vital information – including alerts and suggested resolutions – is conveyed via a resource that employees use for daily work.

To learn more about Workspace ONE Mobile Threat Defense, <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/euc/2022/06/announcing-workspace-one-mobile-threat-defense.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">read this blog</a>.

Simplifying Windows OS Update Management

As employees embrace hybrid workstyles, traditional network-based solutions are inadequate for securing PCs against vulnerabilities. Workspace ONE combines cloud-native Windows 10 and Windows 11 management with intelligent automation to help IT more seamlessly secure PCs alongside every other endpoint, from anywhere.

VMware is today introducing new Workspace ONE capabilities that will make managing updates/patches even easier and elevate the security posture of Windows devices. Workspace ONE flexibly extends to multiple content sources and unifies policy, deployment and lifecycle management of the OS from the cloud.

Flexibility is an inherent feature of the new Workspace ONE Updates Lifecycle, where critical updates can be automated via approval groups, while admins retain control to hand test patches more likely to create issues. Further enhancements include ability for IT admins to:

To learn more about these new update management capabilities, <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/euc/2022/06/workspace-one-windows-patch-management-update.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">read this blog</a>.

IT Teams Enable Secure Anywhere Work with Workspace ONE

Accent Micro Technologies (AMTI) is a technology solutions and systems provider in the Philippines. Josefino "Bong" M. Paloma, executive vice president, Technology, Sales and Marketing, said, “We like Workspace ONE and Carbon Black Cloud for the simplicity and flexibility they offer. They automate many of the manual processes we used to have in provisioning our users, whether it’s installing software or enforcing security policies within the network as well as beyond the perimeter of our network.” Read the full <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/customers/index/fullpage.html?path=/content/web-apps-redesign/customer-stories/2021/breaking-business-records-during-lockdowns-with-remote-work" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study</a>.

swisspro is a provider of electrical installation, information and communications technology (ICT), and automation services. Reto Marti, head of internal IT, said, “Under the old system, it took at least four hours to get a PC ready. But thanks to VMware, we have cut that to about 30 minutes, which makes life so much easier for the IT team.” Read the full <a href="https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/casestudy/vmware-swisspro-successstory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study</a>.

Zoom provides a communications platform where people can connect, share ideas, make plans, and more. Aparna Bawa, Chief Operating Officer, said, “It was critical for our security posture to align with the prominence of this moment and the critical role Zoom played in business continuity for our customers. The collaboration with VMware delivers a more secure digital workspace and enables endpoints in our organization to be better safeguarded and compliant with IT security policies.”

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.vmware.com/company</a>.

VMware, Workspace ONE, Carbon Black, and Anywhere Workspace are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

Angela Leaf, VMware Global Communications, +1 860 480 3367, <a href="mailto:aleaf@vmware.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aleaf@vmware.com</a>

Heather Donner, VMware Global Communications, +1 925 482 4333, <a href="mailto:hdonner@vmware.com">hdonner@vmware.com</a>

VMware today unveiled innovations to its anywhere workspace platform, VMware Workspace ONE, that will make it easier for IT teams to manage and better secure all employee devices.

VMware today unveiled innovations to its anywhere workspace platform, VMware Workspace ONE. Learn more:

VMware Advances Its Anywhere Workspace Platform

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mobile-Threat-Defense-1200x628-1.jpg

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ff0b7b611905906b871b2c46c2d5efa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g

aleaf@vmware.com

Palo Alto, Calif., April 27, 2022 - VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has added the Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for VMware NSX® to the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Exchange.

The updated DISA STIG outlines the installation requirements, security policies and controls for deploying <a href="http://www.vmware.com/products/nsx">VMware NSX</a> within the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The STIG will also help provide a vetted, more secure baseline for non-DoD entities to measure their security posture.

“Across the public sector, agencies are navigating accelerated innovation alongside the journey to Zero Trust security,” said Jennifer Chronis, vice president, public sector, VMware. “As the threat landscape evolves, the release of DISA's STIG for VMware NSX will empower agencies to leverage VMware's advanced network virtualization and security platform to better protect and manage their multi-cloud environments. With VMware NSX, we are helping customers modernize their cloud networks to deliver apps faster while also protecting against today’s threats.”

The STIG requirements confirm VMware NSX implementation is consistent with DoD cybersecurity policies, standards, architectures, security controls and validation procedures, when applicable NIST SP 800-53 cybersecurity controls are applied to all systems and architectures. The DISA STIG for VMware NSX provides guidance on configuring various components of an NSX environment, including the NSX Manager, Gateway Router, Distributed Firewall, and Gateway Firewall.

The latest version of NSX joins VMware vSphere and VMware vSAN for which DISA has previously released STIGs. To view the official STIG, visit the DoD Cyber Exchange Public <a href="https://public.cyber.mil/stigs/downloads/">website </a>and view the STIG <a></a><a href="https://public.cyber.mil/announcement/disa-releases-the-vmware-nsx-t-data-center-security-technical-implementation-guide/">release</a> memo for VMware NSX.

Multi‑Cloud for Mission Success

Earlier this month, VMware announced the findings of a study on how government agencies are scaling the use of multi-cloud environments. The study, titled “Multi-cloud Is The New Frontier Of Government IT," conducted by Forrester Consulting, found that while the move to multi-cloud is a priority, agencies face challenges in supporting growing cloud environments, including compliance standards, data security and upskilling employees. The full study, complete with recommendations for a ‘cloud-smart’  and secure approach to the multi-cloud era can be downloaded <a></a><a href="https://www.vmware.com/learn/1380503_REG.html?src=wb_624ed0c315228&cid=7012H000001KaLSQA0">here</a>.

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit <a></a><a href="http://www.vmware.com/company">www.vmware.com/company</a>.

VMware, NSX, vSphere, and vSAN are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

Vivaan Gideon, VMware Global Communications, <a href="mailto:vgideon@vmware.com">vgideon@vmware.com</a>

VMware today announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has added the Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for VMware NSX to the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Exchange. 

DISA Releases VMware NSX STIG

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DOD_security_VMware_Facebook_1200x628.jpg

Defense Information Systems Agency Releases VMware NSX® Security Technical Implementation Guide - VMware News and Stories

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/75b84e07b783dfc0a64b994d71eb8ea9?s=96&d=mm&r=g

aspeagle@vmware.com

There has been a fundamental restructuring of cybercrime cartels thanks to a booming dark web economy of scale. Powerful cybercriminal groups now operate like multinational corporations and are relied upon by traditional crime syndicates to carry out illegal activities such as extortion and money laundering. Cybercrime cartels are more organized than ever before and enjoy greater protection and resources from the nation-states that view them as national assets.1

With this ground truth serving as the backdrop for the threats facing financial institutions, I interviewed 130 financial security leaders and CISOs from around the world for the fifth edition of the <a href="https://www.vmware.com/learn/security/1414485_REG.html">Modern Bank Heists report.</a> This year’s findings should serve as a warning to the financial sector that attackers are moving from dwell to destruction.

Geopolitical Tension Is Metastasizing in Cyberspace

Cybercriminals targeting the financial sector often escalate their destructive attacks in order to burn evidence as part of their counter incident response. Our report found that 63% of financial institutions experienced an increase in destructive attacks, a 17% increase from last year. Destructive attacks are launched punitively to destroy, disrupt, or degrade victim systems by taking actions such as encrypting files, deleting data, destroying hard drives, terminating connections, or executing malicious code. In fact, we’ve recently witnessed <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/security/2022/03/shields-up-prepare-for-destructive-cyberattacks.html">destructive malware</a> like HermeticWiper being launched following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Notably, the majority of financial leaders I spoke to for this report stated that Russia posed the greatest concern to their institution.

Financial institutions were certainly not immune to the recent resurgence of ransomware. 74% of financial security leaders experienced one or more ransomware attacks in the past year, and 63% of those victims paid the ransom. This is a staggering statistic.

One of the reasons that traditional crime syndicates have become loyal dark web customers is because of the well-funded ecosystem of readymade and available ransomware kits. Cybercrime cartels, such as the Conti ransomware gang, have made it as easy as possible for their associates to launch ransomware attacks on critical industries like the financial sector.

A technical analysis in the VMware Threat Analysis Unit’s latest <a href="https://www.vmware.com/resources/security/exposing-malware-in-multi-cloud.html">threat report</a> provides a view into the proliferation of ransomware and how Remote Access Tools (RATs) help adversaries gain control of systems. Ransomware has a sinister relationship with these RATs, given these tools allow bad actors to persist within the environment and establish a staging server that can be used to target additional systems. Once an adversary has gained this limited access, they will typically work to monetize it by relying on the victim’s data for extortion (including double and triple extortion) or through stealing resources from cloud services using cryptojacking attacks.

Manipulation of Financial Markets

Cybercrime cartels have realized that the most significant asset of a financial institution is nonpublic market information. 2 out of 3 (66 percent) of the leaders I interviewed experienced attacks that targeted market strategies, and 1 in 4 (25 percent) stated that market data was the primary target for cyberattacks on their financial institution.

What exactly are these cybercrime cartels looking for? We’re witnessing an evolution from bank heist to economic espionage, where cybercriminals target corporate information or strategies that can affect the share price of a company as soon as it becomes public. This information can then be used to digitize insider trading and front-run the market. Our report also found that 44% of Chronos attacks targeted market positions. A Chronos attack involves the manipulation of time stamps – a concerning development considering how critical of a role the clock plays in the markets.

Defense Is the Best Offense

Security has become a top-of-mind issue for financial sector leaders. According to our report findings, the majority of financial institutions plan to increase their security budget by 20-30% this year and named extended detection and response (XDR) as their top security investment priority.

As security leaders, we know that a strong defense is the best offense. Modern threat hunting on a weekly basis should be adopted as a best practice to help security teams detect behavioral anomalies, as adversaries can maintain clandestine persistence in an organization’s system. Our report found that currently, only 51% of financial institutions are conducting weekly threat hunts. I am hopeful that this number will jump in next year’s report as threat hunting programs have multiple outputs beyond finding a cybercriminal, such as fueling threat intelligence.

In today’s evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity has become a brand protection imperative. Trust and confidence in the safety of financial institutions depends on effectively avoiding, mitigating, and responding to modern cyber threats.

Download the full report to learn more: <a href="https://www.vmware.com/learn/security/1414485_REG.html">Modern Bank Heists 5.0</a>

core/image

<a href="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MBH-5.0-Infographic.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here</a> to download the full-size interactive infographic.

Modern Bank Heists 5.0 findings should serve as a warning to the financial sector that attackers are moving from dwell to destruction.

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Modern_Bank_Heists_Facebook_1200x628.jpg

Tom Kellermann

VMware Research Reveals Agencies are Navigating Compliance, Security and Upskilling Employees Amid Cloud Adoption

Today, at the <a href="https://upgather.com/vmware/public-sector-innovation-summit/">Public Sector Innovation Summit</a>, VMware announced findings from a study on how government agencies are scaling use of multi-cloud environments for mission success. The study, titled “<a href="https://www.vmware.com/learn/1380503_REG.html?src=wb_624ed0c315228&cid=7012H000001KaLSQA0">Multi-cloud Is The New Frontier Of Government IT</a>," conducted by Forrester Consulting, found while the move to multi-cloud is a priority, agencies face challenges supporting growing cloud environments, including compliance standards, data security and upskilling employees.

A ‘Cloud‑Smart’ Approach for the Public Sector

The survey captures responses from more than 500 agency leaders and IT decision-makers at federal, state, and local governments in the United States and Canada and discovered that while agencies are accelerating cloud adoption, multi-cloud environments are far more diverse, complex, and distributed than anything organizations have managed in the past. This can create barriers or force trade-offs between moving fast and managing risk. The challenge lies in finding the right tools and platforms to meet agency demands and keep data and processes safe and compliant. The study found when selecting cloud platform providers, the top priorities for agencies were: 

Talent Paired with Technology

To achieve a faster and smarter path to multi-cloud, agencies are focused on scaling security and upskilling employees in tandem with cloud adoption. More than half of agencies (57%) expressed concern about data security as they look to increase cloud adoption and 65% of agencies have plans to increase their investment in professional development for their developers.

core/pullquote

“Multi-cloud is the new reality for government agencies but as they increase cloud investments, they also need to lay the technical and cultural foundation,” said Jennifer Chronis, vice president, public sector, VMware. “VMware is uniquely positioned to meet our customers wherever they are on their digital transformation journeys and help them take full advantage of multiple clouds. Across the public sector, we are giving our customers the power to accelerate innovation and improve resiliency on a trusted digital foundation.” (<a href="https://twitter.com/jenniferchronis">Twitter</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-chronis-4a11745/"> LinkedIn</a>)

The full study, complete with recommendations for a ‘cloud-smart’ approach to the multi-cloud era can be downloaded <a href="https://www.vmware.com/learn/1380503_REG.html?src=wb_624ed0c315228&cid=7012H000001KaLSQA0">here</a>.

Learn more at the Public Sector Innovation Summit

VMware’s Public Sector Innovation Summit brings together leading technologists from the private sector, along with IT leaders and experts from federal, state, and local government. This year’s theme, “A Holistic Multi-Cloud for Mission Success,” explores how agencies can reimagine mission success innovating across clouds.

The summit will take place at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. ET. It will also be live streamed. To learn more or to register to attend, please visit: <a href="https://upgather.com/vmware/public-sector-innovation-summit/">Public Sector Innovation Summit 2022</a>.

To learn more about VMware is helping the public sector innovate, please visit:

Methodology

VMware commissioned a survey, undertaken by an independent research organization, Forrester Consulting, in March 2022. 501 agency leaders and IT decision-makers at federal, state, and local governments were surveyed on cloud practices including strategy, process, and solutions. The research was conducted in the United States and Canada.

Samantha Mayowa, VMware Global Communications, <a href="mailto:smayowa@vmware.com">smayowa@vmware.com</a>

Today, at the Public Sector Innovation Summit, VMware announced findings from a study on how government agencies are scaling use of multi-cloud environments for mission success.

Public Sector Innovation Summit 2022

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/public_sector_innovation_1200x628.jpg

Pubic Sector Innovation Summit

MITRE Results Showcase Powerful Combination of VMware Endpoint and Network Security

PALO ALTO, Calif. – March 31, 2022 – Today, VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW) announced the results of its successful completion of the MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluation. VMware security solutions were put to the test in their detection and prevention of attack techniques used by Wizard Spider, a financially motivated cybercriminal group, and Sandworm, a destructive threat group that the U.S. and U.K. have attributed to Russia.

Modern cyberattacks are sophisticated, multi-step assaults launched by bad actors who disguise themselves in the noise of multi-cloud environments. During the evaluation, VMware delivered critical preventions in 100% of the cases tested with zero configuration changes.  The combination of VMware endpoint and network security provides customers with effective security that is easier to operate and designed specifically for the threats businesses and governments face today.

“MITRE Engenuity’s rigorous testing reflects the type of threats that our customers are seeing in the real world, where there are no redo’s,” said Scott Lundgren, Chief Technology Officer of VMware’s Security Business Unit. “With highly effective detection and prevention, our results demonstrate the power of VMware’s comprehensive endpoint and network visibility, which not only works out of the box, but also works the first time.”

Key MITRE ATT&CK® Evaluation results include:

To view the full Wizard Spider and Sandworm evaluation, please visit <a href="https://attackevals.mitre-engenuity.org/enterprise/wizard-spider-and-sandworm/">MITRE Engenuity</a> for evaluation details.

MITRE Engenuity, a subsidiary of MITRE, is a tech foundation for the public good. MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.

MITRE Engenuity brings MITRE’s deep technical know-how and systems thinking to the private sector to solve complex challenges that government alone cannot solve. MITRE Engenuity catalyzes the collective R&D strength of the broader U.S. federal government, academia, and private sector to tackle national and global challenges, such as protecting critical infrastructure, creating a resilient semiconductor ecosystem, building a genomics center for public good, accelerating use case innovation in 5G, and democratizing threat-informed cyber defense.

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company">www.vmware.com/company</a>.

Kerry Tuttle, VMware Global Communications, ktuttle@vmware.com 

Today, VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW) announced the results of its successful completion of the MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluation. VMware security solutions were put to the test in their detection and prevention of attack techniques used by Wizard Spider, a financially motivated cybercriminal group, and Sandworm, a destructive threat group that the U.S. and U.K. have attributed to Russia.

VMware Prevents 100% of Critical Attacks Tested During MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluation

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MicrosoftTeams-image-4.png

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4d948efc2db683c0cb4aa50361a076f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g

ktuttle@vmware.com

The recent Presidential mandates and legislation aimed at strengthening public sector digital defenses are much needed reinforcements to ongoing challenges. Cybercrime is predicted to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 20251, up from $6 trillion in 2021. Added to this are the stressors caused by the global pandemic — requiring agencies to transition to remote workforces while still serving constituents. And while digital transformation, including cloud adoption, has been on the “to do” list for quite some time, the pandemic accelerated the timeline as agencies looked to modernize their infrastructure and build resilience.

With these forces in mind, VMware’s public sector experts weighed in on what should be at the top of mind for agencies this year.

The Journey to Zero Trust Cybersecurity

December’s discovery of the<a href="https://news.vmware.com/security/vmware-responds-to-log4j-vulnerability"> Log4j vulnerability</a> — which allowed hackers to run any code on vulnerable machines or hack into any application directly using the open-source Log4j framework — revealed the fragility of public and private digital architectures. Add to this, mainstream ransomware attacks targeting organizations in critical industries like Colonial Pipeline, JBS Foods and Kaseya made it starkly evident zero trust security needs to be a priority.

“Zero trust and supply chain risk management are at the top of the list,” says Jeremiah Sanders, Senior Federal Strategist at VMware. Zero Trust is the next-generation model for securely delivering IT services and solutions anywhere in the world, on any device or system. It’s not a single product but a security operations framework based on the notion of never trusting and always verifying.

Keith Nakasone, Federal Strategist at VMware added “Cybersecurity must be looked at holistically. It must become a part of the agency culture to include the people, process, and technology.”

Daniel Kent, Chief Architect, Public Sector, VMware notes that effective cybersecurity also requires agencies to practice good cyber hygiene. “IT security can’t be an afterthought, especially as we move to a devOps model, where analytics and automation will be critical to cybersecurity effectiveness,” he says.

The journey to Zero Trust security must be prioritized — and it’s now a<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/"> Presidential mandate</a>. Agencies need  a measured, phased approach to achieve this goal. For more information on cybersecurity mandates and adopting a Zero Trust framework, visit:<a href="https://techzone.vmware.com/blog/incorporating-vmware-zero-trust-presidential-executive-order"> Incorporating VMware Zero-Trust for the Presidential Executive Order</a>.

The Power of Public and Private Partnership

Developing and strengthening the ecosystem of public-private engagement, including the<a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/security/2021/11/biden-administration-directs-federal-agencies-to-patch-known-vulnerabilities.html"> Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC)</a> and the<a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/vmware-white-house-summit-open-source-software-security"> White House Open Source Software Security Summit</a>, is a key building block for technological and economic progress. Similarly, VMware is collaborating with NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) Zero Trust Cybersecurity Architecture Consortium to develop practical, interoperable cybersecurity approaches that address the real-world needs of the public sector’s complex IT ecosystem. These partnerships build trust and resiliency as agencies work towards modernizing critical infrastructure.

In December, President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which codified an approach to cybersecurity that depends on the decisions of private-sector entities to protect the bulk of the nation’s critical infrastructure. This is yet another initiative that brings public and private worlds together to achieve a ‘whole of nation’ approach to combating cybersecurity threats.

“The best way to achieve the goals set by mandates is to work with the private sector — they can be trusted advisors,” says Nakasone.

Leveraging the power of public-private partnerships should be a priority for agencies this year as they look to keep up with the pace of legislation and innovation.

core/embed

A ‘Cloud-Smart’ Approach for the Multi-Cloud Era

The average organization in the private sector runs<a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/vmworld-2021-cross-cloud-services"> about 500 apps</a>2 to drive their business, and those apps are distributed across clouds. Kent points out that the same forces will be true in the public sector as agencies look to the cloud and apps to digitize parts of their organizations.

It’s no longer about a ‘cloud first’ approach—it’s about being ‘cloud smart.’ A multi-cloud approach increases app velocity and innovation and will empower agencies to become much more agile and resilient. This year, agencies should focus on building a cloud strategy that provides freedom and control. The reality is across federal, state and local agencies are at different points in their digital transformation journeys. It will be important they have the freedom to choose the ’right’ cloud based on their strategic business goals. With a cloud-agnostic approach, agencies have the power to accelerate innovation and control their destiny in the multi-cloud era.

Nakasone noted, “the pandemic has created an opportunity for the public sector to consider alternative solutions to ensure that work can continue from any cloud, any application, and any device. Agencies will need to prioritize understanding cloud solutions moving forward to build a strategy that works for their organization.”

Upskilling and Reskilling Employees

With accelerated digital transformation initiatives, agencies are quickly realizing that new technologies require new employee skill sets. As agencies prioritize innovation, they must also prioritize upskilling and reskilling employees as part of the transformation.

“You can have the understanding of what you need — but not have access to talent,” Sanders says. As a result, agencies will need to focus on reskilling existing talent while also expanding their talent pool. Sanders points out that agencies now have access to a broader talent pool as the workforce continues with remote and distributed models, and there is further opportunity to ensure successful agency digital transformation by leveraging digital workforce upskilling partners like VMware to, “enable a new way of work.” 

To learn how VMware is working with the public sector around these priorities, visit:

With increased focus on digital transformation across the public sector, VMware’s experts discuss four innovation priorities across cybersecurity, partnerships, cloud adoption and employees.

Innovating for the Future: 4 Public Sector Priorities for 2022

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-949580946.jpg

VMware enhances end-to-end security offering for cloud-native workloads with container runtime protection

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Modern applications require modern security. Today, VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) <a href="https://www.vmware.com/products/carbon-black-cloud-container.html">unveiled</a> new container runtime security capabilities that build upon a strong end-to-end security offering to help customers better secure modern applications at scale. VMware’s portfolio of security solutions for modern applications spans the entire application lifecycle and leverages the company’s deep expertise in workloads, security, and Kubernetes.

Containerized applications present unique runtime security challenges, including how to only allow legitimate traffic in, how to enable least-privileged communications between services and defend against the lateral movement of attackers, and how to validate that the workload itself is operating within the expected guardrails. VMware provides customers with a robust end-to-end security offering that addresses these challenges at the edge, in the microservices network layer, and in the workload itself. This gives organizations greater visibility and control over both their overall security posture as well as the compliance of their containerized applications for improved protection from development to production.

“At VMware, we aspire to be the best in the world at protecting applications from within,” said Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager, Networking and Advanced Security Business Group, VMware. “Protecting the runtime is the foundation of securing the inner workings of a modern application. With the introduction of container runtime protection, our end-to-end security offering is now tightly integrated across the entire application lifecycle, protects all east-west traffic, and brings a new level of distributed visibility and security to APIs.”

Announcing Container Runtime Protection to Enhance End-to-End Security for Cloud-Native Workloads

As threat actors increasingly launch attacks targeting containers, 97 percent of technology leaders surveyed by VMware say they have concerns about Kubernetes security, and 1 in 5 cite securing containerized workloads at runtime as their biggest concern1. To help customers stay one step ahead of attackers, VMware is adding container runtime protection capabilities to enhance its end-to-end security offering for cloud-native workloads. These capabilities build upon the VMware Carbon Black Container solution <a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/vmware-delivers-advanced-cloud-workload-protection-with-container-and-kubernetes-security">released</a> in April 2021.

VMware’s new container runtime security capabilities include:

Attackers often attempt to hide in the noise of an environment, so container runtime security helps to reduce the noise and alert on real, active events, or block the events immediately while minimizing impact to the application and user experience. By consolidating these events to a single dashboard, security teams can accelerate their investigation into incidents impacting endpoints, virtual machine workloads, and containerized workloads. This provides VMware’s customers with a better understanding their overall security posture while reducing alert fatigue, effectively managing risk, and easing enforcement of compliance.

VMware Breaks Down Silos for More Secure Applications

According to a <a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/new-forrester-research-reveals-deepening-divide-between-developer-and-security-teams">recent study</a>, 70 percent of developer and security managers believe better alignment between their teams creates more secure applications2. <a href="https://www.vmware.com/welcome/cross-cloud-services.html">VMware Cross-Cloud services</a> helps customers reduce team silos to accelerate the development lifecycle and enable security to be built in from the beginning. For example, VMware Carbon Black is highly complementary with VMware Tanzu solutions in addressing the security challenges of modern applications. Together, the two solutions enable more secure applications and simplify operations for security and DevOps teams.

Discovery Limited is a financial services organization that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, savings and investment and wellness markets.

“Security is a top priority for our organization given we provide services globally to make people healthier and enhance and protect people’s lives,” said Johan Marais, senior platform services manager at Discovery Limited. “With VMware, we’ve been able to better secure the entire development lifecycle and can protect all of the workloads within our environment with a single consolidated platform. We can now go from idea to production in a fast, secured, and reliable way, while tapping into a level of security dimension that we haven’t had access to previously. The powerful combination of VMware infrastructure and security capabilities has armed our organization with the critical context needed to protect our cloud-native workloads.”

OpenX is a pioneering leader in advertising technology, helping create a world where the open web thrives.

“As the only 100% cloud-based ad exchange in the industry, we require strong security to protect our Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) environment,” said Joel Meyer, chief architect at OpenX. “VMware’s Kubernetes visibility mapping feature and threat detection capabilities have helped us to reduce our risk, simplify our operations, and embed security into the full application lifecycle. With VMware, we’ve unlocked a new level of GKE visibility and security.”

Container runtime protection is currently available through the VMware Carbon Black Cloud Container Advanced Bundle. For more information, please visit our <a href="https://www.carbonblack.com/products/vmware-carbon-black-cloud-container/">website</a>.

VMware, VMworld, Carbon Black, and Tanzu are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

Kerry Tuttle | VMware Global Communications | ktuttle@vmware.com | (470) 247-1987

VMware unveiled new container runtime security capabilities that build upon a strong end-to-end security offering to help customers better secure modern applications at scale.

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MicrosoftTeams-image-22.png

As the world cheers on the 2022 Winter Olympics, VMware is standing atop its own virtual podium with a medal count of nine golds. VMware is proud to announce it has won across nine categories at the <a href="https://cybersecurity-excellence-awards.com/">2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards</a>, demonstrating the company’s security innovation and commitment to keeping customers safe from cyberattacks.

“We congratulate VMware for the recognition as a gold award winner in the 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards,” said Holger Schulze, CEO of <a href="https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/">Cybersecurity Insiders</a> and founder of the 500,000-member Information Security Community, which organizes the program and determines the award winners. “With over 900 entries in more than 250 award categories, the 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards program is highly competitive. All winners reflect the very best in innovation and excellence in tackling today’s urgent cybersecurity challenges.”

“We congratulate VMware for the recognition as a gold award winner in the 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards,” said Holger Schulze, CEO of <a href="https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/">Cybersecurity Insiders</a> and founder of the 500,000-member Information Security Community, which organizes the program and determines the award winners. “With over 900 entries in more than 250 award categories, the 2022 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards program is highly competitive. All winners reflect the very best in innovation and excellence in tackling today’s urgent cybersecurity challenges.”

core/media-text

The 7th annual Cybersecurity Excellence Awards recognize companies, products, and professionals that demonstrate excellence, innovation, and leadership in information security. Across nine competitive categories ranging from endpoint security and mobile device management to ransomware recovery and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), the gold medals go to:

Cloud Workload Protection: VMware Carbon Black Cloud Workload

Organizations are innovating and delivering new applications that are built, scaled and operated differently in the modern cloud world. However, the modern enterprise faces a growing security challenge with protecting these apps and data amid an expanding threat surface. <a href="https://www.vmware.com/products/carbon-black-cloud-workload.html">VMware Carbon Black Cloud Workload</a> delivers advanced protection purpose-built for securing modern and traditional workloads to reduce attack surface and strengthen security postures. This innovative solution combines prioritized vulnerability reporting and foundational workload hardening with industry-leading prevention, detection and response capabilities to protect workloads running in virtualized, private and hybrid cloud environments. Tightly integrated with VMware vSphere, VMware Carbon Black Cloud Workload provides agentless security that alleviates installation and management overhead and consolidates the collection of telemetry for multiple workload security use cases. By delivering security as a built-in distributed service, VMware helps customers scale response with confidence, speed, and accuracy, and break down siloes on the journey to Zero Trust.

Endpoint Security: VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint