GNESS

http://www.archimedius.net

12 Comments

    • Google Is Preparing to Unleash the Cannibals on Microsoft [view article]
      Clearly cloud computing won't be for everybody; but it will probably start by serving under-served niches where IT is challenged, reactive or not economical. It could drive new combinations of specialized services as well..
      Greg       Jul 17 05:33 PM
    • How Microsoft's Hyper-V Could Beat VMware [view article]
      I think it will come down to innovation and marketing. And this battle is important because of the coming battle with GOOG: gregness.wordpress.com.../

      Thx
      Greg       Jul 10 08:37 PM
    • The Dangers of Cloud Computing: VirtSec on Steroids [view article]
      I think the rate of new release adoption would depend on existing customers, contracts and service guarantees, etc. Jul 10 08:32 PM
    • Maritz Replaces Greene at VMware: Some Implications for the Coming Microsoft Battle [view article]
      Virtualization started in devtest and has spread into production data centers. The rate and nature of that spread is a fair debate and a great question to ask during analyst calls. I think it makes all the difference. Jul 10 08:30 PM
    • Cloud Computing Gathers Steam [view article]
      Thanks for the comments. Walt did blast me one time in class for questioning our posture after the 68 Tet offensive. His class was simply incredible and it was refreshing to hear a voice from that time and place talking about the power of markets versus insulation.

      Guns, Germs and Steel was excellent... but I liked Walts class because he did correlate cultural practices and outlooks as factors in growth, from the silk industry in Japan (which he argued supported fast adoption of the quality movement) to the rampant socialist bureaucracy in Egypt set up by Nassar and that continued at least until my grad school days.

      Thanks Again
      Greg gregness.wordpress.com       Jun 26 05:57 PM
    • VMware, Citrix and Microsoft: Contrasts and Opportunities [view article]
      Thanks for your comment. I think VMware really understands the security implications and opportunities inherent with virtualization, while Microsoft and Citrix may not. This could become a factor in determining who succeeds in hte lucrative data center market.

      Thx
      G       Jun 15 11:30 AM
    • The Year of VirtSec - So Far [view article]
      Thanks for your comment. I agree that VMware seems to be in the driver's seat when it comes to virtualizing production data centers. Jun 13 09:28 AM
    • VMware and Deep Packet Apocalypse [view article]
      Nick: great question. We've charted a single mutation against MS 06-040 since MSFTs announcement almost two years ago and we showed dozens of mutating bot attacks (zero day exploits) and of course corresponding signatures from the deep packet pattern match vendors. I think speed is a must but at the end of the day countering mutations with growing pattern histories is still a reactive posture that accepts a level of vulnerability and requires "fire hose" enforcement (compute-intensive) versus layer 7 complete app/protocol decode and exception processing.

      Then there are the other issues that are problemmatic from the standpoint of pattern match defense: SQL injection; cross-site scripting;and layer 2 evasions (like IP fragmentation).

      The data center that has both servers and VMs in a mesh will require more flow visibility, more vulnerability intelligence and more app knowledge than the traditional systems are capable of delivering. I think these devices will stay at the perimeter (because they're exploit-focused) while a new data center (or server/VM) IPS category will take shape as meshes replace pipes.

      Thanks for your comment./
      Greg       Mar 14 05:59 PM
    • VMware and Virtualization: Security's Wake Up Call [view article]
      GVH: Thanks for the comment. Is there a specific comment beyond the "I disagree" that you want to offer up? Most of the points made are not unique to my blog. In fact, the links are to press clips and analyst commentaries who've actually put their names on their work. Jan 11 06:06 PM
    • Network/Virtualization Security: Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine [view article]
      Timmy: I have a 5 year old so let me give it a shot. With virtualization applications and operating systems are no longer coupled with hardware... they can move around from server to server, etc With mere mouse clicks). That enables a tremendous amount of flexibility, which enables substantial cost savings... because enterprises won't have to purchase more hardware (and space, electricity) than they need and they can make changes more easily.

      As enterprises move to these virtual data centers, their network hardware will have to adapt to this new, fluid world of change. Many of these network security solutions require custom hardware, so it may be difficult with them to keep up or be positioned in the right place to deliver equivalent protection.

      Securing a "fabric" of servers that can all communicate with each other (where the biggest savings of virtualization will be) is very different from inspecting traffic running between a dedicated pool of servers and the network or another pool.

      Netsec hardware vendors will not only have to tackle the problem of larger traffic spikes across a wider and more fluid environment, but will also have to keep up with heightened change. Those that require manual tuning/management will keep security pros even busier merely managing change.

      Then there is the question of where these devices will be inserted in the data center in order to be effective. Can VMs communicate with each other (be compromised) without a security appliance even knowing? Could copies of compromised servers then be made and moved for malicious purposes, behind or around security measures?

      VMW has introduced some dramatic new capabilities for managing data centers. If the security solutions can adapt and the security pros understand the security differences between the physical data center world and virtual, data center security will be improved by virtualization. Network security pros will enjoy many of the same benefits as the server ops teams (enhanced flexibility and performance). This depends on security solutions ability to be re-architected for these new demands and the success of some hot private companies in the virtsec space.

      I think I exceeded the vocab and comprehension of a typical 4 year old... but then I sensed that you were actually much older. SO I hope this explanation helps. You can get more info at archimedius.net.

      Thanks,
      Greg       Jan 07 02:28 PM
    • VMware and Virtualization: Security's Wake Up Call [view article]
      The reference links track back to numerous sites and publications. The Playbook is sponsored by AMD and Blue Lane but is made up solely of editorial content (except for a back cover ad). So while Blue Lane is commonly mentioned in virtsec media coverage, that doesn't jade the coverage or its source. In fact, it positions the company as a technology leader.

      Bybbel- if you read the material I think you'll draw a different conclusion. The fluid nature of VM environments means server/VM states (snapshot, revert, offline and online, etc) can be changed with mouse clicks. If you're plans include user policies preventing offline images, VMotion, etc or elaborate architectural/partitio... schemes to protect your environment (thereby emulating the physical environment that you were virtualizing for substantial flexibility/consolidat... gains and cost savings) then you will be sadly disappointed.

      The more you make your virtual infrastructure emulates the preceding physical infrastructure the lesser the benefit of virtualization. So to some extent you are correct... you can try to enforce physical world limits on virtual infrastructure... but then whats the point?

      Each VM is NOT protected from inter-VM traffic, that is unless you've created a VM (or VLAN) spaghetti network that completely limits the flexibility payoff of virtualization. Again... then what is the point of virtualization if your netsec requires old school rules for new potentials?

      PS- I'm the author. At archimedius.net you can listen to my recent 12 minute podcast interview with Mike Rothman on this topic.       Dec 21 03:31 PM
    • VMware and Virtualization: Security's Wake Up Call [view article]
      Security, scale, availability and management are usually top considerations when it comes to networking, so that makes sense. Dec 20 06:11 PM
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