by: VMware on VMware staff
Part one of this series provided an overview of the VMware IT Performance Annual Report 2021, part two dealt with cultural transformation, part three delved into cloud transformation and part four looked at workspace transformation.
This final blog of the series examines security transformation and its effect on innovation.
In the past year, VMware IT was confronted with supporting business operations with a large remote workforce. From closing the books to keeping data centers going, we met that challenge without compromising security.
The entry points for threat actors increased exponentially because workers weren’t in offices connected to company-run networks behind the firewall. The days of the IT security team only worrying about monitoring the corporate network are gone; they must now consider home networks and the inherent vulnerabilities in this new digital workspace.
Zero Trust
We successfully implemented a Zero Trust architecture using a combination of VMware products and leading-edge security concepts. Anyone trying to access the network must be continuously verified through multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanisms. As a result, we enhanced our overall security infrastructure while ensuring a positive experience for our colleagues with uptimes for IT services at approximately 99.95 percent.
Blast Chambers
VMware IT creates micro-segmented blast chambers to allow R&D and support teams to conduct testing and replication that could potentially harm the corporate network. Micro-segmentation makes sectors in data centers and cloud environments, segregating data to protect it. This method limits the network attack surfaces and limits entry points into the network.
Default VPN
Default VPN will soon be turned off as role-based access control lists (ACLs) and
Workspace ONE determine which resources a colleague may access without the need
for a VPN tunnel.
Authentication
VMware IT took steps to isolate administrator activity by either authenticated application programming interface (API) access or the required use of stateless desktops provided by VMware Horizon®.
Onboarding Apps
We onboarded 123 additional apps through internal automation tools, such as AccessNow.
Devices
VMware devices are administered with a full security stack, managed applications, and certificates with modern push authentication. Non-IT managed devices must use MFA and will soon be limited to only email access via Workspace ONE Boxer and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for connectivity requirements.
Despite the numerous new challenges VMware IT faced because of colleagues working remotely, we responded to security-related issues 10 times faster than the industry average.
The mass remote migration doesn’t appear to be changing in the near-term. A KPMG CIO survey stated that 43 percent of IT leaders responded that more than half of their employees would work from home following the pandemic. In addition, a MindEdge/Skye Learning study reported that nearly a third of employees would continue to work remotely indefinitely after the pandemic.
The pandemic changed how we work, but VMware IT adapted to the new reality by security transformation. By reevaluating our processes and best practices, we created a secure environment that allows colleagues to be productive and innovative, and we will continue to support them wherever they choose to work.
Check out more blogs about different aspects of the IT Performance Annual Report 2021.
VMware on VMware blogs are written by IT subject matter experts sharing stories about our digital transformation using VMware products and services in a global production environment. Contact your sales rep or [email protected] to schedule a briefing on this topic. Visit the VMware on VMware microsite and follow us on Twitter.
