New VMware VMsafe™ Technology Allows the Virtual Datacenter to Be More Secure Than Physical Environments

Twenty Industry-Leading Security Vendors, Including CheckPoint, McAfee and Symantec, Endorse VMsafe Technology and Announce Plans to Build Interoperable Security Solutions

Cannes, FRANCE, February 27, 2008 – VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter, today announced new security technology called VMware VMsafe™, http://www.vmware.com/go/vmsafe, that protects applications running in virtual machines in ways previously not possible in physical environments. The VMsafe APIs allow vendors to develop advanced security products that combat the latest generation of malware. VMsafe technology integrates into the VMware hypervisor and provides the transparency to prevent threats and attacks such as viruses, trojans and keyloggers from ever reaching a virtual machine.  Twenty security vendors have embraced VMsafe technology and are building products that will further enhance the security of virtual machines, making the virtual environment unmatched in the level of security and protection it provides compared to physical systems.

“VMware already has the most trusted virtualization platform for running applications, and we are now raising the bar on security in ways that physical systems simply cannot match,” said Raghu Raghuram, vice president of datacenter products and solutions. “The industry has come out in full force to support VMware VMsafe technology with plans for a whole new class of security products that offer customers new advantages to running applications in virtual machines.” 

Partners Embrace VMware VMsafe Technology
 
VMsafe technology integrates at the hypervisor layer of virtualization to provide a completely new way to detect and eliminate the latest generation of malware. The VMware hypervisor is an ultra-thin layer of software that runs directly on server hardware independently of the operating system, enabling users to create virtual machines on the server in which to run applications. VMsafe technology provides transparency into the memory, CPU, disk and I/O systems of the virtual machine, and monitors every aspect of the execution of the system. Security products built on VMsafe technology are able to stop malware before it harms a machine or steals data, including the latest generation of rootkits, trojans and viruses, which are undetectable on physical machines.

Today, 20 security vendors have announced plans to use VMsafe APIs to build a new class of open, interoperable and cross-platform innovations for virtual machines.  Partner quotes are below.

About VMware

VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter.  More than 100,000 customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2007 revenues of $1.3 billion and more than 10,000 partners, VMware is one of the fastest growing software companies.  VMware is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and on the web at www.VMware.com.

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VMware and VMsafe are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Supporting Partner Quotes

Altor Networks
"At Altor Networks, our mission is to make the virtual network in the datacenter more secure than its physical counterpart”, said Amir  Ben-Efraim, founder and chief executive officer for Altor Networks.  "VMsafe technology facilitates comprehensive integration with VMware’s hypervisor, enabling our patent-pending Virtual Network Firewall™, custom-built for the virtual environment, to enforce security policies per-VM - uninterrupted through VMware VMotion, transience, and across diverse guest OSes.”  

Apani
"Apani offers a software alternative that eliminates the inflexibility and complexity of using hardware-based solutions to secure severs, endpoints and business-critical data within the corporate network," said Ryan Malone, vice president of marketing for Apani. "We're pleased to be an early member of VMsafe and welcome the opportunity to work with VMware to create unique virtual security solutions that solve real business challenges for our customers."

Blue Lane
”VMsafe unleashes the power of Blue Lane’s VirtualShield product, giving enterprises the opportunity to protect virtual infrastructure from highly sophisticated attacks designed to evade traditional defenses,” said Allwyn Sequeira, senior vice president of product operations for Blue Lane. “Enterprises can now unleash the power of virtualization across the datacenter while taking a proactive security posture.”

Catbird
 "As a pioneer in securing virtual infrastructures, Catbird is thrilled to be partnering on this important technology initiative from VMware. Today, Catbird’s V-Security already utilizes VMware Infrastructure APIs and virtualized network technology to deliver comprehensive protection for the virtual datacenter," said Edmundo Costa, chief executive officer for Catbird Inc.  "VMware will enable Catbird to extend our reach to an even deeper level of security and policy enforcement to help protect virtual environments from mismanagement and attack."

Cenzic
"Integration of our application security solution Cenzic Hailstorm ARC with VMware Lab Manager and VMware VirtualCenter solutions have helped us dramatically change the rules of the game, " said Mandeep Khera, vice president of marketing at Cenzic, Inc. “Now, customers are able to use this joint solution to test their Web applications that are in production and also on a continuous basis to protect against new vulnerabilities that are averaging 400 a month. Before this integration, this level of risk management wasn't feasible in the physical world, mainly due to cost, convenience, and time factors. With VMsafe, customers can achieve with virtualization, what was virtually impossible before in the physical world.”

Checkpoint
"We are excited to be a VMware partner and to leverage the API's made available via VMsafe technology,” said Bob Egner, vice president of product management at Check Point. “Our security solutions are deployed on some of the largest and most sensitive networks in the world and the security teams running these networks need to continue operating at the highest levels of security as they move to a virtualized infrastructure. We believe a strong partnership with VMware and tightly integrated products benefit our customers with increased security and manageability."

F5
"VMsafe provides significant visibility and capabilities that were previously unavailable to virtual machines, and go well beyond the capabilities of physical servers," said Erik Giesa, vice president of product management at F5. "As a vendor who specializes in applying application-level intelligence and optimally managing traffic to virtual embedded applications, this new visibility further enables F5 and its customers to leverage VMware's technology in implementing fast, available and secure application delivery solutions."

Fortinet
"Fortinet is very pleased to be a part of VMware VMsafe,” said Michael Rivers, vice president corporate development for Fortinet Inc. “Fortinet has been invested in security virtualization solutions for large enterprise and service provider customers for some time and we are very complementary to VMware's various server offerings. All virtualized servers need multiple layers of security protection that can be either network based, host based or both, which is what Fortinet recommends. Fortinet strongly believes in the technical and economic benefits of virtualization, which VMware has broadly made possible for our mutual customers."

IBM
"As threats to the virtual machine landscape continue to evolve, IBM will leverage the VMsafe technology to provide holistic system and data protection solutions for the virtual environment," said Scott Johnson, business line manager, host solutions for IBM  Internet Security Systems.  "IBM is dedicated to extending superior 'ahead of the threat' multi-layered protection to the virtual landscape, and to working with VMware to develop new and innovative ways to protect the VMware infrastructure."

Imperva
"Application data security and compliance is a key area of concern for Imperva customers,” said Rohit Gupta, vice president of business development for Imperva. “Partnering with VMware will allow Imperva to continue to deliver flexible solutions that provide full visibility and granular control of application and data usage in virtualized environments.”

McAfee
"With VMsafe, VMware introduces a new paradigm in the security of virtualization just like it introduced a new paradigm in computing with its virtualization technology," said Christopher Bolin, chief technology officer for McAfee, Inc. "Together we will be able to protect virtual environments in ways beyond what is available to protect physical environments today."

Reflex
"Reflex Security welcomes VMware’s security initiative as we believe this will enhance and accelerate VMware Infrastructure as a trusted enterprise computing platform," said Hezi More, chief technology officer for Reflex Security.  "As businesses adapt to the ever changing threat and compliance landscape, integration of network security with virtual infrastructure allows organizations to adopt and deploy ‘defense in depth’ security technology closest to their critical assets without the traditional high costs and complexities associated with physical infrastructure." 

RSA
 “Enterprises are embracing the cost and efficiency gains possible through virtualization; however, these organizations are hampered today by numerous security threats and compliance risks,” said D.J. Long, director, corporate development for RSA, the security division of EMC. “RSA has been long-committed to providing interoperable solutions engineered to mitigate information risk within the extended enterprise, and through our technical partnership with VMware, we are able to provide joint customers with a more secure information infrastructure. We will continue to work with VMware to build information-centric security mechanisms directly into the world’s leading solution for server and client virtualization.”

Secure Computing
“Secure Computing supports VMware VMsafe as it promotes better security in virtualized environments," said Ken Rutsky, vice president of product marketing for Secure Computing.  "Secure Computing’s virtualized security solutions for e-mail, Web and firewall can help organizations make the data center more efficient by reducing hardware and thereby significantly lowering energy consumption.”

Shavlik
“Shavlik Technologies applauds this innovative approach to virtualization security,” said Chris Schwartzbauer, vice president of worldwide field operations for Shavlik Technologies. “Shavlik Technologies is firmly committed to extending security into the virtual space.  Shavlik and VMware customers are already benefiting from our recently announced integration with VMware Update Manager.  As an early VMware security partner, we intend to continue our support and provide even more advanced virtual security through the new VMsafe program.”

Sophos
“Sophos supports VMware’s latest security initiative as it promotes tighter security and control for organizations with virtualized environments,” said Michael Rogers, vice president, North America alliances, channels  and OEM for Sophos. “As businesses continue to broaden the way in which they use their network, having the most efficient security while maintaining visibility and control has become not an option but a necessity.”

Symantec
“Symantec is exploring opportunities with VMware to deliver security solutions to customers using VMware environments,” said Bruce McCorkendale, distinguished engineer for Symantec. “We expect the VMsafe technology to be a key enabler in our ongoing efforts.”

Trend Micro
"Virtualization is changing the way organizations build their computing infrastructure. In the past few years, virtualized deployments have really proven their ROI and gained momentum in both large and small enterprises,” said Punit Minocha, vice president of business development and incubation for Trend Micro.  “Trend Micro is pleased to affirm its commitment to providing leading-edge content security solutions to customers via participation in VMware VMsafe."

Tripwire
“We are excited to be part of this industry-leading initiative to bring a never-seen-before view of security to IT,” said Dwayne Melancon, vice president of business and corporate development for Tripwire, a leader in configuration audit and control solutions. “VMware provides us with visibility to help enterprises better manage the risks associated with misconfigured infrastructure that can lead to security or compliance issues. By leveraging VMsafe to create accountability to configuration standards, Tripwire will strengthen its policy-based management of virtual environments to increase the security posture of the enterprise.”

Webroot
“From Spy Sweeper to our most recent move into security software-as-a-service, Webroot has a rich history of innovation and providing the best security in an unsecured world. Given the need to stop the growing crush of malware and spam before it can reach corporate networks, we applaud VMware’s innovative efforts with VMsafe. We look forward working with VMware on delivering the next generation security technology for the virtualized world.” said Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer for Webroot.