VMware vSphere 4: Manage and Design for Security (VMDS)

System administrators, systems engineers, and consultants responsible for securing a vSphere installation.

This is an advanced course. Prerequisites include the completion of one of the following:

• VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage (VICM)
• VMware vSphere 4: What´s New (VIWN)
• Equivalent knowledge and administration experience with VMware ESX™/ESXi and VMware vCenter™ Server

Experience working at the command prompt is helpful

This course shows you how to follow best practices for secure design, deployment, and operation of a VMware vSphere™ environment. Through lecture, discussion, and hands-on practice, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the security and compliance goals of your organization. After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Identify vulnerabilities in the current design of a vSphere environment and recommend corrective actions
• Harden vSphere components as described in vSphere Hardening Guide
• Recommend configuration and change management policies, processes, and systems

Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Online resources for security and compliance

Security in a Virtual Environment

• Review of information security and risk management concepts
• How virtualization affects security and compliance
• Top vulnerabilities in a virtual environment
• Basic guidelines for securing a virtual environment
• Security tools and technologies

Secure Virtual Networking

• vNetwork security architecture
• Network segmentation and traffic isolation
• Secure virtual network configuration
• Traffic isolation with private VLANs

Protecting the Management Environment

• vCenter Server authentication, authorization, and accountingWorking with SSL certificates
• Hardening the vCenter Server system

Protecting VMware ESX/ESXi Host Systems

• ESX and ESXi security architecture
• Controlling access to storage
• Hardening ESX and ESXi hosts.

Hardening Virtual Machines

• Virtual machine security architecture
• Configuring security parameters

Configuration and Change Management

• Configuration and change management goals and guidelines
• Maintaining the proper configuration of vSphere components
• Monitoring logs for security-related events
• Configuration and change management tools and technologies