As more companies go cloud-first, the notion of the software-defined data center (SDDC) is gaining attention. Its ability to virtualize and manage all data center aspects with software promises huge gains in efficiency, agility and effectiveness – that is, if cybersecurity is done right.
According to Gartner, 75% of global 2000 enterprises will consider the programmatic capabilities of an SDDC a requirement as early as 2020. But to be successful, SDDC adoption requires new data security governance programs — with 20% of respondents to Gartner’s survey considering such programs necessary for preventing data breaches in the new paradigm.
SDDC Benefits
With SDDCs, all software and hardware is abstracted, enabling it to be viewed as massive pools of physical and virtual resources controlled and managed by a software layer on top. With everything from servers to storage and the underlying network virtualized, IT can automatically spin up or down services based on demand and business need — all while ensuring optimal resource utilization, performance, availability and cost-efficiencies.
SDDC Cybersecurity Challenges
Unfortunately, few of today’s security toolsets are designed to work with this level of software-defined capabilities. As enterprises look to design and deploy SDDCs, they’re coming to realize that existing security toolsets are ill-equipped to manage SDDC’s:
- Complexity: No two SDDC implementations are alike. Few security tools can ensure data remains secure as it crosses from a private cloud to a public cloud or hybrid of the two and back again. SDDCs require tools that are flexible enough to secure all data, no matter where it lives or where it goes.
- Compliance requirements: While the most effective SDDCs allow IT to tap into pools of resources as needed, data still needs to be secured. Few security tools today can track critical data as it crosses from one cloud or geography to the next. The best SDDC security provides enterprises with full insight and visibility to comply with current and evolving regulations governing data residency, privacy and more.
- Diversity: Because the intricacies of the underlying technologies are abstracted, SDDCs use variety of hardware, software and operating systems. The security tools deployed in SDDCs must also have broad enough support to cover the whole ecosystem, end to end.
What Makes a Strong, Software-Defined Security Solution?
SDDCs can’t be protected without a strong software-defined security solution. Our partner Fortinet knows this. Its FortiCloud platform is a cloud-based provisioning, configuration management and analytics service designed to provide security at the level of today’s (and tomorrow’s) SDDCs.
A fully cloud-hosted solution, FortiCloud works at the speed of SDDC, enabling teams to deploy and configure a range of tools quickly and automatically — including FortiGate next-generation firewalls, FortiWiFi networks and FortiAP wireless access points. It also offers cross-platform and cross-cloud traffic and application visibility, logging, data analytics, security sandboxing and more – all easily controlled and managed from a single pane of glass.
FortiCloud provides the deep, broad functionality, control and visibility you need to ensure your customers’ move to SDDC is successful and secure. A value-added distributor of Fortinet solutions, Fine Tec can support you as you help your business customers more easily manage security in the cloud and the SDDC. Learn more