Security and the Modern Data Center

Modern data centers are undergoing a transformation by supporting more services, users, and data than ever before. With new technology, come new risks.  As a result, IT architects must build proper security controls, policies, and processes to address and alleviate new threats. Below are three main data center trends and their associated risks:

Virtualization

It’s easy to understand why virtualization is one of the fastest growing technologies these days for businesses large and small. With the ability to cut power consumption, save space and make IT admin’s jobs easier, it’s hard not to love it. However, there are two sides to every coin and virtualization is no different.  Virtualization, although highly recommended, introduces new security risks, including:

• Blind Spots: Virtualization causes security analysts to lose visibility into communication between          virtual machines (VMs) on the same host.
• Lack of Separation of Duties: Virtualization makes it easy to move VMs to any host or establish connectivity between any VMs on the same host. Misconfiguration or lack of policy enforcement makes it possible to combine VMs containing sensitive data with other VMs on the same host or bridge two different networks that should never communicate with one another.
• VM Sprawl: The transmission of VMs without adequate coordination or oversight can make it difficult to locate critical servers and determine their state of patching and configuration. Security risks become more tangible because a VM that is not properly tracked and managed may not have updated patches or proper configuration control, leading to vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

Endpoint Proliferation

With bring-your-own-device or BYOD on the rise, personal and professional devices for today’s workforces are converging. In a surveycompleted by IDC and Unisys, Unisys Consumerization of IT Benchmark Study, found that 95% of workers report that they use at least one self-purchased device (smartphones, personal laptops, tablets, and other devices) for work.  With minimal visibility into personal devices accessing the network and no control over the security practices in place, the potential for increased risk is inevitable.

Increased Resource Requirements

Endpoint proliferation means increased resources and increased access to networks that won’t interfere with the performance of mission critical, high-bandwidth applications. The need for these larger networks often requires significant human resources to manage and maintain. With all this additional traffic coming and going it is almost impossible to effectively monitor and track everything for threats.  If the traffic can’t be monitored effectively, then unseen threats can potentially penetrate the network.

Being aware and understanding potential security risks can allow IT architects to transform their data centers with confidence.  Reduce costs, go green, offer more services, and support more users and growing amounts of data safely and securely by staying informed and having the right solutions in place. Convergent Technologies Group can be your trusted adviser to ensure you are always going down the right technology tracks. Call us today for a free consultation and we will help you get started.