Altor Networks, creator of the first purpose-built virtual firewall, today announced that it is using VMware VMsafe™ technology to embed the Altor VF virtual firewall into the hypervisor kernel of VMware vSphere™ 4 and provide robust defense-in-depth security for virtual machines (VMs). VMs can be protected without requiring security agents on the guest, complicated network reconfigurations, or performance-degrading remapping of network flows.
Altor Networks is integrating the Altor VF purpose-built stateful firewall with VMware vSphere 4 using VMware VMsafe to deliver granular, per-VM, and inter-VM security with blazing performance. In addition, Altor VF will include patent-pending virtual-aware IDS, featuring intelligent scanning that uses the VMware VMsafe APIs and VMware vCenterTM Server integration to apply only relevant signatures to each virtual machine.
“For the first time, a hypervisor-based firewall using VMware VMsafe technology will enable defense-in-depth at the individual VM-level while delivering 3-5X faster performance than a firewall/IDS in a virtual machine,” said Amir Ben-Efraim, chief executive officer, Altor Networks. The Altor VF is available today, with VMware vSphere 4 integration forthcoming later in Q2 2009.
In addition to filtering packets inside the hypervisor, VMware VMsafe technology will enable the Altor VF to explore virtual machine memory pages and see which processes are running inside a VM. Security policy can be applied at an individual-VM level and enforcement of this policy occurs within the Kernel, delivering protection from tampering and the ultimate security and speed.
“We are excited to see VMware partners bring to market new security solutions built using VMware VMsafe technology – a key component of VMware vSphere 4, the industry’s first operating system for building the internal cloud,” said Shekar Ayyar, vice president, infrastructure alliances, VMware. “Altor VF is an excellent showcase to demonstrate how our technology partners can harness the potential of VMware VMsafe to deliver solutions like virtual firewalls by leveraging the unique capabilities of VMware vSphere 4. Security administrators can deploy Altor VF in combination with VMware vSphere 4 to achieve enhanced security available only in VMware environments.”
Purpose-built for the virtual environment, the Altor VF enables secure usage of unique virtualization features, such as VMware VMotion™, and provides ease of administration and tight integration with VMware vCenter™ Server. The Altor VF further delivers defense-in-depth with virtual-aware IDS for up-to-date protection against emerging threats with a security-signature update service.