Complexity Is the Enemy of Security: VMware Leaders Weigh In On How To Make Security Simpler, Faster and Smarter

“One thing we know for sure in security is no matter what you do at the perimeter, bad guys will find a way in.”
– Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Network and Security Business Unit

Security is now a top priority for CEOs and company boards as destructive and sophisticated cyberattacks surge. From ransomware to island hopping, organizations know it’s no longer a matter of if they’ll get attacked, but when. Because of this, we’re seeing cybersecurity spending skyrocket. Over the past 10 years, VC investments in cybersecurity companies jumped 376% and global cybersecurity spending increased 163%1.

Redefining the Industry’s Approach

Complexity is the enemy of security, as it creates a significant amount of risk for organizations. Today, there are too many surfaces to defend, too many tools and siloes between teams, and too little context about infrastructure, apps and data. At Security Connect, leaders from VMware detailed the challenges security teams are facing and the changes the industry must make in order to stay one step ahead of attackers. The current approach to security consumes too much time, money and effort. By simplifying security and adopting a Zero Trust approach, we can put the power back in the hands of defenders.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to truly redefine the industry’s approach to security in this new world order. VMware is in a unique position to make security simpler, faster and smarter because we can distribute security services into the fabric of the way we work.”
– Patrick Morley, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Security Business Unit

Simpler: Built-in Security

Organizations cannot fight the adversary in a complex environment. Security must be simplified. Simplifying security starts with distributing it as a service. The convergence of applications, cloud environments and the anywhere workforce has created an opportunity for VMware to build security into all products and offerings. Customers can then choose to turn it on via a systems approach. Simplifying security is critical to having it operate at scale in the real world.

Faster: Connected Control Points

We must enable security to be done at speed. By building it in from the beginning, we can make security much faster than it would be as a bolted-on product. In essence, everywhere VMware is, so is security. Currently, security teams have many of the tools and capabilities to make the right decisions, to perform the right investigations, and to lead to the right remediations. However, they cannot do that quickly. Our mission is to compress the timeline without sacrificing quality or creating a drop-off ineffectiveness. Being able to tie together historically disparate control points and different domains will empower teams to secure the entire organization in a timely manner.

Smarter: Situational Intelligence

Many organizations are still extremely siloed in their approach to security, with different teams using different products to look at the same thing. By distributing security services, VMware provides a single pane of glass view of security that allows different teams to evaluate risk using a common language and shared intelligence so they can better protect the organization. Authoritative context on products within an environment is available when security is built in from the beginning. Risk prioritization and threat intelligence becomes trustworthy, actionable and immediately accessible for anyone who touches security within an organization to help make the right decisions at the right time.

“We must bring together multiple security technologies that are carefully orchestrated so that security teams that are already stretched thin can quickly mitigate threats and move on.”
– Shankar Iyer, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s End User Computing Business Unit

Security for Today, Tomorrow and Beyond

Organizations are no longer buying time; they must now rethink their security strategies to respond to the evolving security threats and challenges. VMware is taking this journey with our customers, as we continue to drive innovation to make security simpler, faster and smarter embracing Zero Trust. Our mission is to ensure our customers have the security required for today, tomorrow and beyond – to ultimately help keep the world safe from cyberattacks.