Enables strict compliance with security policies and industry regulations for user data as customers adopt cloud computing with virtual environments.

VMware, Inc., a provider of virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter, today announced VMware vShield Zones, a new security virtual appliance for the virtual datacenter operating system (VDC-OS) that will enable strict compliance with security policies and industry regulations for user data as customers adopt cloud computing with virtual environments for increased efficiency and flexibility.

The company explains that previously, compliance required diverting network traffic to external physical appliances, resulting in disconnected 'islands' of infrastructure. It avers that with VMware vShield Zones, customers will be able to create logical zones in the virtual datacenter that span all of the shared physical resources, with each zone representing a distinct level of trust and confidentiality. This will allow businesses to comply with corporate security policies and regulations on data privacy while still running applications efficiently on shared computing resource pools, claims the company.

''VMware virtualization solutions have enabled companies to pool their computing resources and deliver IT as a dynamic, shared service,'' said Raghu Raghuram, Vice President, server business unit, VMware. ''VMware vShield Zones enhances this architecture by enabling customers to segment and isolate their application traffic in a shared environment, thereby delivering new security benefits and making VMware Infrastructure a safe place to run business critical applications.''