How to avoid issues with virtual machines

by | Jan 24, 2022

ETIQUETAS: Tips

Virtualization comes with a wide range of benefits for organizations. It helps cut IT costs and reduces downtime while increasing efficiency and productivity. It also increases the resiliency of networks, primarily when disasters occur, and promotes more green-friendly operations.

However, using virtual machines also comes with a set of downsides. Information security may get compromised, workloads mixed up, separation duties lost, among other issues. It is vital to know how you can get over these problems, and that’s what this article will discuss.

Let’s get started.

Source: Pixabay

Extending your security processes

Information security is a significant issue across the globe today. Technological advancements like virtualization have made it a more substantial problem than before. Information security has not been looked into throughout the lifecycle, mainly in the early stages of virtualization projects.

Organizations must involve information security teams at every step. This is even more critical during the architecture and planning stages. In the past, information security has been integrated into projects after workloads have gotten virtualized.

Firms should realize the importance of introducing information security earlier in the process. It can help them acknowledge and communicate, then manage security risks in good time. This is tricky to do when not using information security across every step you undertake.

Secure virtualization layer with adequate controls

The virtualization layer is one of the most targeted parts of any network today. Most firms are just getting started with using virtual machines. Therefore, they do not know everything about this layer, especially all the potential vulnerabilities criminals can exploit.

Treating this layer as the most critical in your organization will help. Then go ahead and secure it with adequate controls. For instance, you can use security tools like proxies. Blazing seo residential proxy is an excellent example of a tool that can make it easy to filter the traffic getting onto a network.

In turn, this will make it easy to keep unauthorized persons away from it. Also, avoid relying on host-based security controls, as they may not provide you with the desired level of security. All the workloads on the company server will get compromised should the virtualization server be.

Increase visibility and control

Virtual machines need to communicate to deliver the desired results. They can do this directly using software-based virtual networks. However, security problems may arise since the interactions and traffic between the virtual machines can be challenging to monitor.

The fact that organizations have security systems on their networks makes this tricky. Virtual machines communicate on software-based virtual and physical networks. The best way to avoid such risks is to increase visibility and control of the organization’s systems.

Firms can extend the same measures used for network security to virtual systems. It will ensure they identify potential risks on every part of their systems and not only physical networks. In the end, the entire network will enjoy protection even from a wide range of unforeseeable threats.

Prevent mixing of workloads

Using virtual machines means consolidating your workflow onto one physical server. However, this comes with serious challenges, as it isn’t easy to separate the workloads. It is important to remember that workloads may require separation because they belong to different trust zones.

This method helps organizations ensure every workload is in its rightful trust zone. And firms are using it for various purposes on their physical networks. The good news is that separation of workloads has always proved effective. They can extend its application to virtual environments and workload security.

It will ensure they provide the required security to the correct workloads. It will also save them resources, time and effort. In the end, the most significant benefit is to ensure proper safety by providing every workload on their server with the required level of security.

Configure networks in virtual environments

An organizational network’s configuration topology can be a security concern. Collapsing all physical servers into one machine increases the risks a firm faces. It means users could gain more access than they need on a network instead of enjoying limited privileges.

Besides, it can be tricky to determine the team that should handle the internal virtual switch. Therefore, it is a great idea to have one team do all the configurations. They should also proceed to virtual environments after configuring network topology in physical environments.

They can save resources by using the same infrastructure in both environments. For instance, they can do this using an architecture that supports replaceable switch codes. Such can use similar policies and consoles in both environments. This will make it easier for them to increase safety.

Keep virtualization layer as thin as possible

As mentioned before, the virtualization layer is still under exploration by various parties. Firms are still learning about the wide range of vulnerabilities on this layer and looking for ways to seal them. On the other hand, cybercriminals are looking for security holes that they can exploit on this layer.

One way to beat cybercriminals is to hold this layer with high regard. This means treating it as the most critical part of your network. You should ensure that you patch it regularly to seal any security holes that may arise, and establish guidelines that could help you configure it.

Also, keeping it as thin as possible can help secure a network. Ensure there’s little that any potential attacker can find, even with the most sophisticated techniques. That will make it difficult for them to compromise. It will also be easier to detect a compromise and act in good time.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways to avoid problems with virtual machines. The handy tips shared in this article will make this seamless and ensure you enjoy more efficiency with virtualization. All that’s left is to start implementing these ideas in your organization if you use virtual machines.

In the end, you’ll be able to enjoy the full benefits of virtualization in an organization. It will be accessible to, for instance, get the desired returns on your investment. Thus, consider reviewing your usage of virtual machines, identify issues and follow the tips shared here to be safe.

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