Cloud Computing Security: Emerging Vendor Round-Up: Page 3

6. Vyatta

What Problem Do they Solve? It’s no secret that the perimeter, hardware-based networking and security model doesn’t quite work in the cloud. Traditional edge networking and security has not been modernized the way server and storage infrastructure has been over the past decade. According to Vyatta, the next generation of infrastructure must be delivered as an application that maps to the elastic model of the cloud in order to keep up.

Some vendors in hardware-based routing and security are tying services to virtual switches or providing firewall-only virtual machines, both of which represent a continuation of the sort of vendor lock that many organizations are hoping the cloud will break. This doesn’t just fall short of meeting cloud network architecture requirements (on-demand, elastic, mobile, platform neutral, limited footprint), but it also limits cloud developers’ ability to properly protect virtual machines and users in a multi-tenant environment.

What they Do: The platform-independent Vyatta Network OS virtual machine is a bridging, routing and network security (firewall, IPS, IPSec & SSL VPN, web filtering+, layer 2 cloud bridging) solution for cloud computing platforms. Vyatta addresses the complex automation, migration and advanced security needs of hosted public cloud data and centralized private clouds by enabling cloud architects to design complete n-tier networks within a hypervisor environment. Vyatta’s solution is delivered on-demand and can be used on a per-customer or per-server basis.

Why they’re an up-and-comer? The company is backed by more than $28 million in VC funding and claims to have over one thousand customers and tens of thousands of software and appliance installations around the world. Fortune 500 customers include Toyota, EMC, Honeywell and CBS.

7. Zscaler

What Problem Do they Solve? Data breaches, insider threats and cloud-based vulnerabilities all tax traditional security. For instance, when employees at an organization fall victim to an attack, be it a phishing attack or malware on a device used for both business and personal use, they can unknowingly bring malware into the corporate network, which can easily add up to millions of dollars in productivity or IP loss.

Additionally, addressing the issues of regulating a mobile workforce and providing advanced content scanning are both issues that put such a large burden on IT that many organizations can’t keep up.

What they Do: Zscaler provides “policy-based secure internet access for any employee, on any device, anywhere.” Through “innovations in its massively scalable cloud architecture,” the Zscaler Security Cloud provides an ultra-low latency SaaS security solution that requires neither hardware nor software to function properly.

Zscaler’s cloud security service suite offers anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, URL filtering, Web 2.0 control, bandwidth control, mail flow control, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP). Large enterprises and small businesses can take advantage of the cloud to secure their employees at much lower TCO than traditional solutions.

Why they’re an up-and-comer? In just two years, Zscaler's cloud security service has grown to over 40 data centers, processing over a billion transactions a day to secure millions of enterprise, SMB and Service Provider customers. According to the company, this growth is due to major advancements in service architecture, scanning speed and capacity, and logging and reporting. Zscaler claims that it can actually scan every byte of data to provide the most comprehensive security across web and email traffic.

Customers include La-Z-Boy, HDFC (India’s largest home mortgage company), HCR ManorCare, LANCO Group and Crutchfield.