VMware acquires PacketMotion

VMware has acquired a company called PacketMotion. Not directly related to desktop virtualization but worth noticing anyway.

PacketMotion is focused on delivering user activity context for network segmentation and data access monitoring and recently introduced the PacketSentry Virtual Probe, which is optimized to efficiently monitor and enforce identity based network access controls in VMware vSphere.

Security is an important component of VMware’s strategy to help companies transform IT through more efficient and automated cloud infrastructure. On July 12 we launched vShield 5, introducing new sensitive data discovery and intrusion detection capabilities to give customers deploying hybrid clouds visibility, control and confidence in the compliance of their critical applications and regulated data. These capabilities give us the what and the how of this equation (the sensitive data and its location). PacketMotion can provide the who (who is accessing it). The combination presents an opportunity to make it possible for customers to automate security and compliance policies in a completely business-driven language, such as “give HR access to HIPAA vApps” or “give Finance access to the PCI-CDE vApps.” This will greatly simplify the automation of security and compliance in the hybrid cloud.
PacketMotion also has a rich set of user access monitoring reports which support various compliance control objectives and will enrich VMware and partner compliance automation solutions.

With customers spanning many industries, including financial services, manufacturing, energy, government and healthcare, PacketMotion is known for its innovation. It was recognized as a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner in 2009, and an “IT Innovator of the Year” by SC Magazine for 2010. We expect to integrate PacketMotion technologies into the vShield portfolio, and the PacketMotion team will join VMware’s Cloud Infrastructure Business Unit. We welcome them to the VMware family and look forward to continuing to deliver on our “better security with virtualization” promise.

Source: http://blogs.vmware.com/console/2011/08/vmware-acquires-packetmotion.html