Project Goldilocks, VMware’s New Plan for Firewalls

Sep 23, 2016 | blog

Goldilocks sleeps between two curious bears
Almost every day, the virtualization industry takes a giant leap forward. Although this industry has been reserved for only the most technologically advanced of businesses over the years, it’s spreading like wildfire with advances in cloud computing. As engineers create virtual versions of hardware, storage, and even networks, digital architects are coming up with entirely new ways to design your IT framework. Today’s development comes in endpoint security, and we’ve got everything you need to know right here.

A virtual network is a way to connect two or more devices that aren’t physically linked by wires or cables. From the perspective of machines on a virtual network, they’re essentially sitting in the same room — even if they’re on opposite sides of the globe. The advantages of this setup range from ease of management to reduced hardware costs. AT&T and Verizon have begun offering these services, and small- and medium-sized businesses have slowly begun to adopt them.

Meanwhile, another sector of the IT world has been making its own advances. Cutting-edge hardware firewalls are beginning to offer internal segmentation as a method of separating pieces of your internal network to keep them safe from threats that spread internally. The more segments you have, the safer your network is from poorly protected neighbors. But there are limits to how much capacity one of these hardware firewalls has for segmentation.

Virtualization giant VMware has taken notice and developed a prototype to combine these two services. In the hopes of unleashing ‘microsegmentation’ from the limits of physical hardware, Project Goldilocks will essentially create a virtual firewall for every virtualized application. When one of these applications is created or installed, it will come with a ‘birth certificate’ outlining every acceptable function it can perform. When making requests to the operating system, network, or hardware the application is installed on, Goldilocks will cross-reference the request with the birth certificate and deny anything that hasn’t been given permission.

Segmenting virtual networks and applying them to individual applications rather than entire networks or operating systems could revolutionize the market for endpoint security. Not only would it be easier to block malware infections, but those that made it through could be quarantined and terminated immediately because of the virtual nature of their location.

While virtualization may be a complicated state-of-the-art technology, all it really takes is a helping hand. With our full team of specialists, we’re ready to pull you into the next stage of your virtualized infrastructure. All you need to do is reach out us — why not do it today?

Recent Posts

Cloud Use Cases for Small and Growing Businesses

Cloud Use Cases for Small and Growing Businesses

As you may have heard, the cloud is a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet. But for businesses the world over, the cloud represents the next step in technological evolution. The cloud unlocks speed, flexibility, scale, and cost savings that businesses of...

2023 Cybersecurity Trends for Small Business

2023 Cybersecurity Trends for Small Business

The threat of cybercrime continues to grow each year, and small businesses are particularly vulnerable. The latest cybersecurity trends indicate that organizations of all sizes must remain vigilant in order to protect their valuable data.  In this article, we'll cover...

Security in a Co-Managed IT Environment

Security in a Co-Managed IT Environment

Security in a co-managed IT environment looks a little different than in a traditional environment. Don’t be alarmed. When leveraging a partner to co-manage your environment, you’ll actually have better, more robust security in most cases than if you were to manage...

Five Signs you Need Better IT Support

Five Signs you Need Better IT Support

IT systems can make or break any business. They provide an avenue for communication and collaboration, help with organizational efficiency, and drive improved customer service. Without proper IT support, businesses are often left in despair and experience hindering...

Co-Managed IT Services for Financial Services

Co-Managed IT Services for Financial Services

Financial services companies are faced with the challenge of keeping up with technology because they cannot sacrifice data security or compliance. As a result, more organizations are turning to co-managed IT services as an option that provides a balance between cost...

Co-Managed IT Services for Oil and Gas

Co-Managed IT Services for Oil and Gas

The Oil and Gas industry is an ever-evolving sector that operates in a highly competitive global market. Companies must stay ahead of the competition to remain profitable, which means keeping up with the latest technologies and trends. One way to do this is with...