Securing VMware ESX with Active Directory

VMware ESX is a popular platform for organizations that are migrating from a physical to a virtual computing environment. While vendors like VMware provide administrative tools for managing their virtualization software, security and compliance gaps may still exist for organizations that have not secured access to the underlying operating system on the host machine. This Centrify chalktalk covers best practices for securing VMware ESX host systems by locking down administrative access and controlling administrator privileges. It also describes how the Centrify Suite combined with Microsoft Active Directory can be used to segregate guest systems and delegate administrative duties for the various business owners.

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Running Time	21 minutes
Speaker	David McNeely Director, Product Management
Moderator	Frank Cabri VP, Marketing
Topics Covered	An overview of how authentication works in a VMware environment The various access methods and administrative interfaces that IT managers can use to access a VMware host Security gaps that exist given the variety of access methods, particularly around the VMware host's root account How to lock down a VMware host through centrally controlled Active Directory accounts and shut down root access Segregating groups of guest systems for different business owners and best practices for delegating administrative duties How Centrify's solution adds additional security protection over the native VMware administrative tools Auditing administrative sessions on VMware host systems How Centrify's patent-pending Zone technology provides an easy and secure way to enforce separation of administrative duties for administrators of virtual guests How security changes as servers begin to migrate from a physical to a virtual infrastructure

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Historically, getting Active Directory to work with Linux was a non-trivial, very complex task, Hilf [director of Microsoft's Linux and open source lab] said, before suggesting a product from a Microsoft partner, Centrify DirectControl, as a solution in this regard.

eWeek
August 10, 2005

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Securing VMware ESX with Active Directory