SafeNet Launches Data Encryption Solution for Virtual Environments

SafeNet Protect V Delivers Data Control, Visibility and Governance for VMware & AWS Hosted Virtual Machines

SafeNet, a Baltimore, Maryland-based provider of network security and data protection solutions, has launched “ProtectV”, a new encryption solution designed to address the security, control, and governance issues associated with data stored in the cloud.

According to the company, ProtectV, which has launched as a VMware Ready™ solution, enables virtual machines (VMs) and storage volumes to enjoy security on par with the security of physical servers and storage in a secure on-premise environment. ProtectV is compatible with VMware vShield and VMware vCenter, and can be used by Amazon Web Services EC2 & EBS customers.

“The flexibility and abstraction of the cloud means many privileged users can create new virtual instances or copies of virtual environments outside of the management console,” Mike Rothman of Securosis explained. “They can also change access keys, add access or entitlements, or change permissions. This means that organizations don’t have the same level of control over network access and it’s easier for new virtual servers to be created out of thin air, significantly increasing the risk of data exposure.”

“Security needs to be implemented directly within the virtualized instances, and organizations cannot rely solely on the cloud infrastructure to provide it,” Rothman added.

SafeNet ProtectV provides centralized management for encrypting VMs in AWS and VMware environments. Additionally, users can manage the policy of what VMs encrypt and who should have access.

“As more data moves to private or public clouds, the number of super-users with access to an organization’s data multiplies, the risk of VMs being copied without the owner knowing increases, the possibility of temporary file trails rises, and the organization’s data is more vulnerable to being compromised,” the company explained in a statement.

SafeNet ProtectV offers the following features:

• VM Security and Data Isolation: SafeNet ProtectV provides granular, full-VM encryption, pre-launch authentication and an on-premise hardware root of trust, delivering protection throughout the information lifecycle. ProtectV enables organizations to run systems as if it was their own private data center, even in co-mingled or multi-tenant environments.

• Protection from Rogue Admins: All VMs and associated storage volumes are encrypted, from the VM instances, snapshots and backups, across locations and disaster recovery sites. Super User Admins, who may have control of the virtualization infrastructure, cannot access the encrypted VMs.

• Enforced Compliance: ProtectV provides control and proof of data governance through audit logs. ProtectV enables organizations to enforce the proper controls, present a trusted audit control regardless of where the data is hosted or stored and sustain compliance with regulations, including PCI DSS, HIPAA and HITECH.

• Data Governance and Visibility: ProtectV affords cloud security visibility through a centralized policy enforcement and audit point. SafeNet provides a trusted, high assurance key management environment, delivering ownership of data and keys. As a result, organizations and their compliance auditors are assured complete control of their keys to their data and ownership with the complete logs for the necessary visibility.

• Cross-Platform Key Management: Encryption can be meaningless without proper key management. SafeNet ProtectV integrates with SafeNet’s Enterprise Key Management solution, KeySecure, which helps security teams centrally manage cryptographic keys across a wide variety of their organization’s encryption platforms.

“Virtualization and cloud computing offer tremendous benefits in cost and agility, but organizations cannot use the same security approach they use for a physical datacenter, said Sangeeta Anand, corporate vice president and general manager, Data Protection Business Unit at SafeNet.

“By encrypting the data itself, organizations maintain control of high-value assets throughout the information lifecycle, including protecting against rogue admins, and have the ability ‘digitally shred’ data in the event of a breach, ensuring the safety of critical assets,” Anand explained.

You can read more about ProtectV here.