Using outdated security technologies in today's IT landscape can open an organisation up to serious threats, says Gregory Anderson, SA country manager at Trend Micro.
Virtualised and cloud infrastructure are not just changing data centres, but are also pushing a change in approach to security, says Anderson. The security vulnerabilities caused by using outdated technology can have severe impacts on performance and result in gaping holes in security.
According to Anderson, agentless solutions can address this problem. "The reason organisations and IT professionals are still wary of investing in virtualisation and the cloud is very much hinged around the security debate," says Anderson. "Agentless solutions offer what we term 'better-than-physical' protection, where a single platform integrates all security technologies and in turn is able to resolve any operational issues that may arise in the virtual environment."
Agent-based security solutions are more limited, says Anderson, while agentless solutions are capable of simplifying the overall security landscape and accelerating the returns associated with cloud and virtualisation. They are lighter and more manageable ways of securing virtual machines (VMs), he explains.
Agentless solutions strengthen security, adds Anderson, as they cover integrity monitoring, intrusion prevention, firewall and anti-malware. They have the added advantage of not needing continual configuration, updating and patching.
Further, agentless solutions are capable of cutting the costs of security in virtual environments by up to 66%, he points out. "This has been substantiated by recent research and testing performed by the Tolly Group."
"Ultimately, an agentless security solution within your virtualised, cloud-based and VM environment will enable you to maximise efficiency and reduce operational costs with lower overheads," he says. "It will also allow for greater machine consolidation in virtual environments; eliminate the cost of deploying multiple software clients; provide vulnerability protection; and reduce security management costs.
"In short, it's a win-win solution, taking away the trepidation of moving into the cloud and paving the way for businesses to move into the future," he concludes.
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